Regional Eurostar

Regional Eurostar was the name given to plans to operate Eurostar train services from Paris and Brussels to locations in the United Kingdom beyond London. The services would have been run using a fleet of seven North of London, 14-coach British Rail Class 373/2 trainsets.

A depot for the regional Eurostar services, Manchester International Depot, was constructed at Longsight in Manchester by London and Continental Railways. A large Eurostar-branded sign was attached to the outside of this depot which ambitiously proclaimed to passing train passengers "le Eurostar habite ici" (French for "the Eurostar lives here"), despite the fact that the depot was empty and unused; the sign remained in place for several years after the Regional Eurostar project was abandoned.[1]

Trial runs were undertaken using the 373/2 sets on both the East and West Coast Main Lines and passenger information signs and Eurostar lounges were installed at stations along the route, as the high-speed rail line between London and the Channel Tunnel, High Speed 1, was not under construction Eurostar services within the UK were forced to use existing rail lines and connecting junctions were built to allow Regional Eurostars access via the congested North London Line. In all British Rail invested £140 million in infrastructure to allow the services to operate.

Regional Eurostar services were never to run, at the same time as the Channel Tunnel was nearing completion. British Rail was undergoing the long process of privatisation and regional Eurostar can be seen as a victim of it.[2] Many had seen regional services as more a political than economic cause, a means of gaining support for the Channel Tunnel from areas of the UK outside the South-East. A Parliamentary Select Committee in 1999 said "The regions have been cheated",[3] the economic case for merely the inter-capital services had been questioned from the outset but by the time the Channel Tunnel was opened in 1993, backing for regional services had already started to dry up. The British Rail subsidiary European Passenger Services (EPS), which was to undertake Eurostar operations jointly with SNCF of France and NMBS/SNCB of Belgium, took ownership of the 373/2s in 1996 at the same time as it was under the process of being privatised and transferred to London and Continental Railways (LCR) who won the contract to build the CTRL and run Eurostar services.

Due to lower than forecast passenger numbers on the inter-capital services,[4] by 1998 LCR was in financial trouble, as part of a new deal with the UK government, in 1998 LCR sub-contracted its share of Eurostar operations, via Eurostar (UK), to InterCapital and Regional Rail (ICRR). As part of its bid ICRR stated that regional Eurostar services could not run without government subsidy, which the Department for Transport was unwilling to provide, the only other bidder to operate the UK share of the Eurostar operation for LCR, Richard Branson's Virgin Rail Group, claimed it was willing to run regional Eurostar services at its own risk, however it subsequently informed the UK government that it too saw them as unviable. As part of its contract LCR was not legally required to start regional Eurostar services and by 1999 it was clear that they would not operate.

British Rail, via EPS, ran a token domestic service from certain locations around the UK into Waterloo station using HSTs allowing connection with onward Eurostar service between May 1995 and January 1997 but these were ended at the time of privatisation.

Whilst officially regional Eurostar services have not been cancelled but are on hold or under review,[5] there are no longer many people who expect them to operate on current lines, although this may be reconsidered if the proposed High Speed 2 line comes to fruition. The most often cited reason given why they have not run is that they are economically unviable in the current climate,[6] the 1990s saw a huge expansion in air travel across Europe with low-cost airlines - a business that had not existed in Europe when the Channel Tunnel was planned - flying from most major cities in the UK to locations on the continent, against which regional Eurostar services, with predicted journey times of almost nine hours for Glasgow to Paris, could not compete.[7]

Unlike other international train services within the European Union where border controls have either had a long history of operation or are no longer enforced, the UK maintains concerns about customs and immigration, the inter-capital services still operate separately from the rest of the British railway network with passport checks carried out at St Pancras, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International stations. There was concern that similar tight control would not be possible upon regional Eurostar services where separate check-in facilities at stations did not exist.

To stop regional Eurostar services competing with domestic services in the envisioned competitive market that it was hoped the privatisation of British Rail would create, they were not to stop in London and only allowed to pick up at regional stations whilst going south and set down passengers going north, this was cited as another negative reason for their economic non-viability.

The politics of the regional Eurostar service, along with many other Channel Tunnel-related projects, have been complicated over the years; in 1999 the Department for Transport commissioned Arthur D. Little Ltd to write an independent report into regional Eurostar service which was published in February 2000.[8]

Diagrammatic map showing the planned High Speed rail network in Great Britain with proposed "Classic Compatible" rail routes extending to other parts of Britain[9]

Diagram showing the destinations of HS1 & HS2 in the UK and France with the proposed link (not to scale)

Map showing the proposed HS1-HS2 link across Camden, as proposed in 2010

With the opening of High Speed 1 in November 2007, which has connections to both the East Coast Main Line and North London Line (for the West Coast Main Line) at St Pancras, there remains hope that the significantly improved journey times now available to potential Regional Eurostar services may make the service more viable. In addition, the maximum speed on the West Coast Main Line has been increased from 110 to 125 mph since the mid-2000s (though class 373s are at present limited by kinematic gauging constraints to 110 mph). Key pieces of infrastructure still belong to LCR via their subsidiary London & Continental Stations and Property (LCSP) such as the Manchester International Depot in Longsight.

While there has not been any official announcement of plans to start Regional Eurostar services, during recent enquiries into capacity on the East Coast Main Line it has been mentioned that Eurostar (UK) still owns several track access rights and the rights to paths on both the East Coast and West Coast Main Lines, hinting at the possibility of services at some point in the future,[10][11] but for the time being, at least, the nearest the UK has to Regional Eurostar services is the same-station connections now available at St Pancras from Midland cities along the Midland Main Line route, e.g., Leicester and Sheffield.

Fresh plans have been proposed following announcements that a new high-speed line, High Speed Two (HS2), is to be constructed between London and Manchester and Leeds via Birmingham,[12] the proposed route of HS2 into London will bring the line very close to the existing High Speed 1 (HS1) line which terminates at St Pancras station; at their closest points, the two high-speed lines will be only 0.4 miles (0.64 km) apart, and the Department for Transport (DfT) examined various proposals for connecting HS1 and HS2. A governmental "command paper" published in March 2010 proposed either a rapid transit link between HS1 and HS2 terminals, or a direct railway connection.[13] Later announcements on 10 January 2012 confirmed that the first phase of the HS2 project was to include the construction of a single track link across North London between HS2 and HS1, partially in tunnels and partially over the existing North London Line, allowing for three trains per hour in both directions.[14][15] DfT proposals in 2013 stated that this link would allow HS2 trains from the North of England to bypass London Euston and connect straight to HS1, enabling direct rail services to be run from Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham to Paris, Brussels and other continental European destinations.[9][16]

The proposed HS1-HS2 link was subject to some criticism and concerns were raised by Camden London Borough Council about the impact on housing, Camden Market and other local businesses from construction work of the link.[17][18]Sir David Higgins, chairman of HS2 Ltd, recommended that the Camden railway link should be omitted from the parliamentary bill, stating that HS2 passengers from the North of England would easily be able to transfer from the HS2 terminal at Euston to St Pancras by London Underground, to continue their journey on HS1 to continental Europe. He also recommended that alternative plans should be drawn up to link the high-speed lines,[19][20] at the second reading of the High Speed Rail Bill in April 2014, the link was omitted from the final proposals.

Following this decision, there are no confirmed plans to connect HS2 to HS1, meaning that Regional Eurostar services are not longer being considered, although London mayor Boris Johnson proposed in April 2014 that an HS1-HS2 link should be provided by boring a tunnel under Camden.[21]

Due to track arrangements, customs and competition concerns and that the Eurostar terminal was located at Waterloo station on the south side of London regional Eurostar services were not to call at London, the Summer 1999 National Rail Timetable indicates the trains would have called at the following stations, with one train per day on the ECML Glasgow route, and two running to Manchester, one via the Trent Valley line and one via the Birmingham line. The faster train would not have called at stations between Stafford and Milton Keynes.

Slots in British Rail/Railtrack/Network Rail's timetables for regional Eurostar services were included for many years even though the services did not run, this factor was objected to by some train operating companies who were informed they could not run additional domestic services along the congested mainlines. The dropping of these slots around 1999/2000 was seen by many as the final admission that regional Eurostar services would not ever operate, however Eurostar still owns the rights to reinstate several paths in the future if desired.

The trains to operate all these services were built at the same time as the Channel Tunnel was under construction in the late 1980s to early 1990s, the London-Paris-Brussels ("Three Capital" Class 373/1) trains are owned in groups by Eurostar International (subsidiary of LCR), SNCF and NMBS/SNCB but operate as a common pool. They consist of 18 coaches in a fixed formation. Seven shorter 14-coach North of London 373/2 were also constructed for the regional services at a cost of £180 million. All seven are owned by Eurostar International having been transferred from British Rail. Following the non-start of regional services, the trains were stored at North Pole depot in west London. Six of the seven trains have seen use at various times since.

Between 2001 and 2005, British East Coast Main Line operator GNER used three train sets to provide additional domestic capacity. Branded White Rose after the White Rose of Yorkshire, sets 3301–3306 received a deep-blue livery using vinyl wraps, with 3307–3312 being stripped of their Eurostar logos to fulfill the roster when the GNER-branded sets were unavailable. On occasions a GNER vinyled half set would operate with an unvinyled half set. Initially the GNER White Rose services ran between London King's Cross and York, then, after clearance was given, between London and Leeds. The units were not permitted to be used on services north of York due to loading gauge restrictions in the Newcastle area, the sets continued to be maintained with the other Eurostar units at North Pole depot, where they returned to storage in 2005 following the end of the GNER lease. All bar 3308 were then leased to SNCF for domestic services in France.

Set 3313/14 was used during acceptance testing on section 1 of High Speed 1 and in the process of over-speed testing, set a new UK rail speed record of 334.7 km/h (208 mph) in 2003. The set is named Entente Cordiale and has seen use as a VIP charter train, having transported the Queen on a state visit to France and to the Entente Cordiale anniversary celebrations in 2004. On 12 June 2007 the unit was used to carry International Olympic Committee inspectors from Stratford International to London St Pancras, as a demonstration for Olympic Javelin services in 2012.[22]

The current future of the 373/2 sets remains uncertain. Software upgrades are believed to be required to allow the units to operate independently as a half-set; it is likely that the units will receive a similar paint-scheme to the Three Capitals Eurostar units already in use by SNCF for domestic service.[citation needed]

British Rail Class 373
–
The British Rail Class 373 or TGV TMST train is an electric multiple unit that operates Eurostars inter-city high-speed rail service between Britain, France and Belgium via the Channel Tunnel. It is both the second longest—387 metres —and second fastest train in regular UK passenger service, operating at speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour. It

Great North Eastern Railway
–
It operated InterCity train services on the East Coast Main Line. Sea Containers was awarded a franchise to run the InterCity East Coast franchise from April 1996. In March 2000 the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority announced that Sea Containers, in January 2002 the Strategic Rail Authority scrapped the refranchising process and awarded a two-year ex

4.
Class 43 43116 at Edinburgh Waverley, with a service from Aberdeen to Leeds. These trains were used on routes where the line was not fully electrified, and on the route from London King's Cross to Skipton.

Eurostar
–
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Avignon, Brussels, Lille, Lyon, Marseille and Paris. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel, the London terminus is St Pancras International, with the other British calling points being Ebbsfleet Int

Paris
–
Paris is the capital and most populous city of France. It has an area of 105 square kilometres and a population of 2,229,621 in 2013 within its administrative limits, the agglomeration has grown well beyond the citys administrative limits. By the 17th century, Paris was one of Europes major centres of finance, commerce, fashion, science, and the ar

1.
In the 1860s Paris streets and monuments were illuminated by 56,000 gas lamps, making it literally "The City of Light."

Brussels
–
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels which is the capital of Belgium. The Brussels-Capital Region is a part of both the French Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community, but is separate from the region of Flanders or Wallonia. The region has a popu

London
–
London /ˈlʌndən/ is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain and it was founded by the Romans, who named it Londinium. Londons ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its 1. 12-square-mile medieval boundaries. London is a global city

Channel Tunnel
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At its lowest point, it is 75 m deep below the sea bed, and 115 m below sea level. The speed limit for trains in the tunnel is 160 kilometres per hour, the tunnel carries high-speed Eurostar passenger trains, the Eurotunnel Shuttle for road vehicles—the largest such transport in the world—and international freight trains. The tunnel connects end-to

4.
Interior of Eurotunnel Shuttle, a vehicle shuttle train. The largest railway wagon in the world, the shuttle trains transport vehicles between terminals at either end of the tunnel

High-speed rail
–
High-speed rail is a type of rail transport that operates significantly faster than traditional rail traffic, using an integrated system of specialized rolling stock and dedicated tracks. The first such system began operations in Japan in 1964 and was known as the bullet train. High-speed trains normally operate on standard gauge tracks of continuo

English Channel
–
The English Channel, also called simply the Channel, is the body of water that separates southern England from northern France, and links the southern part of the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. It is about 560 km long and varies in width from 240 km at its widest to 33.3 km in the Strait of Dover and it is the smallest of the shallow seas around

TGV
–
TGV is Frances intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF, the national rail operator. It was developed in the 1970s by GEC-Alsthom and SNCF, originally designed as turbotrains to be powered by gas turbines, the prototypes evolved into electric trains with the 1973 oil crisis. A TGV test train set the record for the fastest wheeled train,

4.
A TGV Sud-Est set in the original orange livery, since superseded by silver and blue

Glasgow Central railway station
–
Glasgow Central is the major mainline rail terminus in Glasgow, Scotland. The station was opened by the Caledonian Railway on 1 August 1879 and is one of nineteen managed by Network Rail and it is the northern terminus of the West Coast Main Line, and for inter-city services between Glasgow and England. The other main railway station in Glasgow is

1.
Inside Glasgow Central, looking north east across the main concourse

3.
The Gordon Street entrance of Central Station, with The Central Hotel above it

4.
The Edwardian-era Booking Office and train information building

East Coast Main Line
–
The East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long railway link between London and Edinburgh via Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington and Newcastle, electrified along the whole route. Services north of Edinburgh to Aberdeen and Inverness use diesel trains, the main franchise on the line is operated by Virgin Trains East Coast. The r

4.
55012 "Crepello" enters King's Cross in May 1976. The Class 55 Deltic was the main express locomotive on the ECML between 1961 and 1981.

Manchester Piccadilly station
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Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. Opened as Store Street in 1842 and renamed Manchester London Road in 1847, the station has twelve terminal platforms in the train shed and two through platforms to the south of it. Piccadilly is a interchange with the Metrolink light rail system. Six train operating comp

4.
Piccadilly station in 1989, with the concourse building opened in 1960, this was later redeveloped in 2002.

West Coast Main Line
–
The West Coast Main Line is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. It is one of the busiest mixed-traffic railway routes in Europe, carrying a mixture of intercity rail, regional rail, the core route of the WCML runs from London to Glas

Nightstar (train)
–
The Nightstar was a proposed overnight sleeper service from various parts of United Kingdom to continental Europe, via the Channel Tunnel. To run alongside the Eurostar and north of London day-time Regional Eurostar services, while some carriages were built, the project was cancelled in 1997 for lack of commercial viability. Some of the stock was s

Plymouth railway station
–
Plymouth railway station serves the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. It is on the edge of the city centre, close to the North Cross roundabout. The station is managed by Great Western Railway, being on the Exeter to Plymouth line,245 miles 75 chains down-line from London Paddington via the Great Western Main Line, Plymouth is also the junction for

4.
Plymouth station from the east. A CrossCountry train is standing in platform 4.

Cardiff Central railway station
–
Cardiff Central railway station is a major railway station on the South Wales Main Line in Cardiff, United Kingdom and one of two hubs of the citys urban rail network. Cardiff Central is a Grade II listed building managed by Arriva Trains Wales and it is an interchange between the rest of South and West Wales, and other major British cities. Arriva

Great Western Main Line
–
The Great Western main line is a main line railway in Great Britain, that runs westwards from Londons Paddington station to Bristol Temple Meads. It was the route of the pre-1948 Great Western Railway which was merged into the Western Region of British Railways and is now a part of the national rail system managed by Network Rail. The line is curre

Longsight
–
Longsight is an inner city area of Manchester, England, about 3 miles south of the city centre. Historically in Lancashire, it had a population of 15,429 at the 2011 census, Longsight is an ethnically diverse area, with high levels of poverty, deprivation and crime. For many years, Longsight has been plagued by gang related violence, most of the vi

1.
Much of the housing stock of Longsight consists of red-brick terraced houses

2.
Former First Church of Christ, Scientist by Edgar Wood

3.
Slade Hall

Manchester
–
Manchester is a major city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 514,414 as of 2013. It lies within the United Kingdoms second-most populous urban area, with a population of 2.55 million, Manchester is fringed by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east and an arc of towns with whic

High Speed 1
–
High Speed 1, legally the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, is a 109-kilometre high-speed railway between London and the United Kingdom end of the Channel Tunnel. The line crosses the River Medway, and under the River Thames and it cost £5.8 billion to build and opened on 14 November 2007. Trains reach speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour on section 1,

North London Line
–
The North London line is a railway line of the London Overground, which passes through the inner suburbs of north London, England. Its route is a rough semicircle between the south-west and the north-east, avoiding central London, the line is owned and maintained by Network Rail and London Overground. It is an important freight route and is used by

British Rail
–
British Railways, which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies and lasted until the privatisation of British Rail. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Trans

Privatisation of British Rail
–
The privatisation of British Rail was the process by which ownership and operation of the railways of Great Britain passed from government control into private hands. Begun in 1994, it had completed by 1997. Historically, the British railways had been in ownership since 1948. It was under Thatchers successor John Major that the railways themselves

South East England
–
South East England is the most populous of the nine official regions of England at the first level of NUTS for statistical purposes. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, as with the other regions of England, apart from Greater London, the south east has no elected government. It is the third largest region of England,

Eurostar International Limited
–
Eurostar International Limited is the railway company operating the international Eurostar train services between London, Paris and Brussels via the Channel Tunnel. Eurostar was previously operated by three companies in Belgium, France and the United Kingdom, but this structure was replaced by EIL as a new single management company on 1 September 2

SNCF
–
SNCF is Frances national state-owned railway company and manages the rail traffic in France and the Principality of Monaco. SNCF operates the national rail services, including the TGV. Its functions include operation of services for passengers and freight. SNCF employs more than 180,000 people in 120 countries around the globe, the railway network

National Railway Company of Belgium
–
SNCB/NMBS is the national railway company of Belgium. The company formally styles itself using the Dutch and French abbreviations NMBS/SNCB, however it is referred to in English. The corporate logo designed in 1936 by Henry van de Velde consists of the linguistically neutral letter B in a horizontal oval, NMBS/SNCB is an autonomous government compa

1.
Route map

InterCapital and Regional Rail
–
Eurostar International Limited is the railway company operating the international Eurostar train services between London, Paris and Brussels via the Channel Tunnel. Eurostar was previously operated by three companies in Belgium, France and the United Kingdom, but this structure was replaced by EIL as a new single management company on 1 September 2

Richard Branson
–
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate, investor and philanthropist. He founded the Virgin Group, which more than 400 companies. Branson expressed his desire to become an entrepreneur at a young age, at the age of sixteen his first business venture was a magazine called Student. In 1970, he set up a mail-order record bu

1.
Branson at the UK Drugs Policy: Taking the Lead Internationally discussion at Chatham House, March 2015

Virgin Rail Group
–
Virgin Rail Group was formed by the Virgin Group to bid for rail franchises in the United Kingdom during the privatisation of British Rail. Virgin bid for a number of franchises, including Gatwick Express, InterCity CrossCountry and it was successful in winning the latter two, and Virgin CrossCountry and Virgin West Coast began operations in Januar

InterCity 125
–
InterCity 125 was the brand name of British Rails diesel-powered High Speed Train fleet, which was built from 1975 to 1982 and was introduced in 1976. An InterCity 125 train is made up of two Class 43 power cars, one at end of a fixed formation of Mark 3 carriages. Initially the sets were classified as Classes 253 and 254, a variant of the power ca

1.
An InterCity 125 in original British Rail livery near Chesterfield

2.
Class 252 in 1975 – The prototype HST, seen here at Weston-Super-Mare

3.
An InterCity 125 about to depart Manchester Piccadilly on a wet day in 1986

High Speed 2
–
High Speed 2 is a planned high-speed railway in the United Kingdom linking London, Birmingham, the East Midlands, Leeds and Manchester. It would be the second high-speed rail line in Britain, after High Speed 1 which connects London to the Channel Tunnel. The line is to be built in a Y configuration, with London on the bottom of the Y, Birmingham a

1.
HS1 (the Channel Tunnel rail link), the first railway line in Britain with an operating speed of more than 250 km/h

Europe
–
Europe is a continent that comprises the westernmost part of Eurasia. Europe is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, yet the non-oceanic borders of Europe—a concept dating back to classical antiquity—are arbitrary. Europe covers about 10,180,000 square kilometres, or 2% of the Earths surface, politically, Europ

3.
A medieval T and O map from 1472 showing the three continents as domains of the sons of Noah — Asia to Sem (Shem), Europe to Iafeth (Japheth), and Africa to Cham (Ham)

4.
Early modern depiction of Europa regina ('Queen Europe') and the mythical Europa of the 8th century BC.

Low-cost carrier
–
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts. To make up for revenue lost in decreased ticket prices, the airline may charge for extras like food, priority boarding, seat allocating, as of July 2014, the worlds largest low-cost carrier is Southwest Airlines, which operates in the United Stat

European Union
–
The European Union is a political and economic union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe. It has an area of 4,475,757 km2, the EU has developed an internal single market through a standardised system of laws that apply in all member states. Within the Schengen Area, passport controls have been abolished, a monetary union was es

St Pancras railway station
–
St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus located on Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden. It was opened in 1868 by the Midland Railway as the terminus of its main line. When inaugurated, the train shed by William Henry Barlow was the largest s

Ebbsfleet International railway station
–
Ebbsfleet International railway station is a railway station in Ebbsfleet Valley, in the Borough of Dartford, Kent,10 miles outside the eastern boundary of Greater London, England. It is near Dartford and the Bluewater shopping centre to the west, the station is part of the Thames Gateway urban regeneration, a project of national priority. It stand

1.
Ebbsfleet International

2.
Departures (Note: this had the old Eurostar logo)

Ashford International railway station
–
Ashford International railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line in England, serving the town of Ashford, Kent. It is 56 miles 9 chains down-line from London Charing Cross and is situated between Pluckley and Westenhanger stations on the main line, domestic trains that call at Ashford are operated by Southeastern and Southern, and internatio

1.
Ashford International

2.
The previous station entrance, dating from the 1990s until 2009 when it was extended and redeveloped, and forecourt.

Arthur D. Little
–
Arthur D. Arthur D. Little pioneered the concept of contracted professional services. The company played key roles in the development of strategy, operations research, the word processor, the first synthetic penicillin, LexisNexis. Today the company is a management consulting firm operating as a partnership. The roots of the company were started in

1.
The Arthur D. Little Inc. building at 30 Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Massachusetts, near MIT, which opened in 1917. (photo 2009)

2.
Entrance to 30 Memorial Drive ADL building (photo 2009)

Midland Main Line
–
The Midland Main Line is a major railway line in England from London to Sheffield in the North of England. The line is under the Network Rail description of Route 19, it comprises the lines from Londons St. Pancras station via Leicester, Derby/Nottingham, Express passenger services on the line are operated by East Midlands Trains. The section betwe

Leicester
–
Leicester is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest, in the 2011 census the population of the City of Leicester unitary authority was 329,839 making it the most populous municipality in the East Midlands region.

Sheffield
–
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, its derives from the River Sheaf. With some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its industrial roots to encompass a wider economic base. The population of the City of Sheffield is 569,700,

High Speed Two
–
High Speed 2 is a planned high-speed railway in the United Kingdom linking London, Birmingham, the East Midlands, Leeds and Manchester. It would be the second high-speed rail line in Britain, after High Speed 1 which connects London to the Channel Tunnel. The line is to be built in a Y configuration, with London on the bottom of the Y, Birmingham a

1.
HS1 (the Channel Tunnel rail link), the first railway line in Britain with an operating speed of more than 250 km/h

Camden Market
–
The Camden markets are a number of adjoining large retail markets in Camden Town near the Hampstead Road Lock of the Regents Canal, often collectively named Camden Market or Camden Lock. Among products sold on the stalls are crafts, clothing, bric-a-brac and it is the fourth-most popular visitor attraction in London, attracting approximately 100,00

1.
The Camden Market at the water

2.
Entrance to markets from Chalk Farm Road

3.
Camden Lock Market

4.
The Stables Market entrance

Waterloo International railway station
–
It stands on the western side of Waterloo railway station, London but was managed and branded separately from the main-line station. In June/July 2017 the buildings and platforms will be incorporated into the main Waterloo station, then after a period of redevelopment they will be permanently re-opened in December 2018 as part of the main station.

1.
Two Eurostars (class 373) at Waterloo International

2.
South West Trains units occupying platforms 21 and 22, Waterloo (ex-International Terminal) station at 15:30 on 23 July 2015.

3.
Waterloo International arch

4.
Farewell message from Eurostar to its Waterloo terminus, early December 2007.

Trent Valley line
–
The Trent Valley line is a railway line between Rugby and Stafford in England, forming part of the West Coast Main Line. It is named after the River Trent which it follows, the line was built to provide a direct route from London to North West England and Scotland, and avoid the slower route between Rugby and Stafford via Birmingham. The cities, to

1.
The Trent Valley Line looking north from Hademore Crossing on 15 October 2006, showing the track bed for the new lines and works for the new bridge.

2.
Diagrammatic map of the route in blue.

3.
The same view on 7 January 2007, showing the newly opened bridge at Hademore

Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line
–
The Rugby–Birmingham–Stafford line is a railway line in the West Midlands of England. It is a loop off the West Coast Main Line between Rugby and Stafford via the West Midlands cities of Coventry, Birmingham and Wolverhampton, the direct route between Rugby and Stafford is the Trent Valley Line. The cities, towns and villages served by the line are

1.
Diagrammatic map of the route in orange.

Edinburgh Waverley railway station
–
Edinburgh Waverley railway station is the principal station serving Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. Waverley station is situated in a steep, narrow valley between the medieval Old Town and the 18th century New Town, Princes Street, the premier shopping street, runs close to its north side. The valley is bridged by the North Bridge, rebuilt

1.
The main pedestrian entrance to the station (now barred to traffic), including the entrance ramp and Balmoral Hotel behind

2.
View from Scott Monument of Waverley Station roof, prior to restoration, between Waverley Bridge (bottom right) and North Bridge, and Arthur's Seat in the background

3.
Former North British Hotel above the station

4.
Aberdeen express leaving Edinburgh Waverley in 1957

Newcastle Central station

1.
The main entrance

4.
East Coast and CrossCountry trains at opposite platforms

Darlington railway station

1.
Darlington

2.
Express entering the station in 1961

3.
Down freight passing the station in 1961

York railway station

1.
York

2.
York station in the early 20th Century

3.
The station in 2010

4.
South-facing station approach

Leeds railway station

1.
Leeds railway station

2.
The North Concourse (Wellington Quarter) – The shops were previously platform entrances

3.
The Western Entrance into the railway station.

4.
Neville Street passes under the railway station

Doncaster railway station

1.
The frontage at Doncaster

2.
At the station in 1953

3.
Down Express departing in 1957

4.
A Deltic locomotive coupling to the Hull-King's Cross train, July 1975

Newark North Gate railway station

1.
Newark North Gate

Peterborough railway station

1.
Station layout of Peterborough station, prior to the addition of platforms 6 & 7 in 2013.

1.
The frontage to Milton Keynes Central, known locally as Station Square. Also visible are the bus stops, with local and long distance buses visible.

2.
The station lobby, with the huge National Rail logo above the entrance

3.
Looking south from Milton Keynes Central, showing the bay platform 2A and the track on the left, which leads into platform 1 under the bridge. The bridge in the middle distance carries H6 Childs Way.

4.
The main body of Milton Keynes Central, showing the triple island platform layout and the footbridge. The large station building provides the backdrop. Platform 6 is closest to the camera.

3.
Angela Rippon, pictured in 1983, became the first female news presenter in 1975

4.
The combined newsroom for domestic television and radio was opened at Television Centre in West London in 1998.

LIST OF IMAGES

1.
British Rail Class 373
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The British Rail Class 373 or TGV TMST train is an electric multiple unit that operates Eurostars inter-city high-speed rail service between Britain, France and Belgium via the Channel Tunnel. It is both the second longest—387 metres —and second fastest train in regular UK passenger service, operating at speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour. It is beaten in both aspects by the Class 374 which is 400 metres long and has a top speed of 320 kilometres per hour, though this is never achieved on HS1 in Britain. It was built by the French company GEC-Alsthom at its sites in La Rochelle, Belfort and Washwood Heath, two types were constructed,31 Three Capitals sets consisting of two power cars and 18 carriages, including two with powered bogies. They are 387 metres long and have 750 seats,206 in first class,544 in standard class, seven North of London trains with 14 carriages, including two carriages with powered bogies. They are 312.36 metres in length and have 558 seats,114 in first class,444 in standard class. The North of London sets were intended to provide Regional Eurostar services from continental Europe to and from north of London, using the West Coast and East Coast Main Lines. The sets were ordered by the companies involved,16 by SNCF, four by NMBS/SNCB. Upon the privatisation of British Rail, the BR sets were bought by London and Continental Railways, the first set was built at Belfort in 1992. Identified as PS1, it was formed of two cars and seven coaches, and was delivered for test running in January 1993. Its first powered runs were between Strasbourg and Mulhouse, and it was transferred to the UK for third-rail DC tests in June 1993, full-length pre-series train PS2 was completed in May 1993. An extra power car, numbered 3999, was built as a spare and this was required for a couple of years, when 3999 was renumbered and replaced another power car whilst it underwent rebuilding at Le Landy. It was overhauled and renumbered 3204 in 2016, the 27 sets still operating on Eurostar were refurbished in 2004/05 with a new interior, designed by Philippe Starck. The grey-yellow look in Standard class and the look in First class were replaced with a more grey-brown scheme in Standard. In 2008, Eurostar announced that it was beginning the process to institute a mid-life update, as a part of the update process, the Italian company Pininfarina was contracted to redesign the interiors, the first refurbished Eurostar was not originally due in service until 2012. The refurbishment could also include a maintenance and a new livery. Maintenance is carried out at close to the three capital cities. In France the trains are maintained at Le Landy depot in northern Paris, the bulk of operations are on Eurostars core routes from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord and Brussels South

British Rail Class 373
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373 218 leaving Chambéry in Savoie, France
British Rail Class 373
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The interior of a Class 373
British Rail Class 373
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The original Standard Class interior of a Class 373
British Rail Class 373
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A pair of Class 373s in the standard Eurostar livery at Waterloo International

2.
Great North Eastern Railway
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It operated InterCity train services on the East Coast Main Line. Sea Containers was awarded a franchise to run the InterCity East Coast franchise from April 1996. In March 2000 the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority announced that Sea Containers, in January 2002 the Strategic Rail Authority scrapped the refranchising process and awarded a two-year extension to Sea Containers until April 2005. In March 2005 the Strategic Rail Authority awarded the franchise to GNER for seven years, with a three-year extension based on targets being met, the initials GNER were similar to LNER, the company that operated the route before being nationalised as part of British Railways in 1948. Additionally, two of the LNERs predecessor companies were the GNR, who built Kings Cross station, GNER suffered two major accidents during its operating years. In the Hatfield crash on 17 October 2000, the 12,10 London Kings Cross – Leeds train derailed just south of Hatfield station due to a crack in the rail. Four passengers were killed in the restaurant car, which struck an overhead catenary stanchion during the derailment, GNERs other accident was the Great Heck rail crash on the morning of 28 February 2001, where a Newcastle–London service hit a Land Rover that had driven off the M62 motorway. The GNER train derailed and was hit by a Freightliner train from Immingham to Ferrybridge. GNERs principal routes were from London Kings Cross to Leeds and Edinburgh Waverley, from Edinburgh Waverley, selected services continued on to Motherwell and Glasgow Central, Inverness, or Aberdeen. From Leeds, some ran to and from Bradford Forster Square, Skipton. One service per day ran to and from Hull via Selby. The service between Kings Cross and Leeds was generally hourly, with trains serving most main intermediate stations. With the completion of the Allington Chord, near Grantham, having increased track capacity, a half-hourly service between Kings Cross and Newcastle operated for most of the day, departing from London on the hour and the half-hour. The top of the hour departures continued through to Edinburgh, some of these ran on to either Glasgow Central, GNER operated ten trains per day between Kings Cross and Glasgow. There were three trains per day each way between Kings Cross and Aberdeen, the time being just over seven hours. There was also one service per day arriving at Aberdeen from Leeds and these services were operated using a diesel InterCity 125 because the Edinburgh to Aberdeen line and the section of the Cross Country Route between Leeds and York are not electrified. A daily service operated between Kings Cross and Inverness, named the Highland Chieftain, a journey taking just over 8 hours, the service was operated using a diesel InterCity 125, as the line north of Edinburgh is not electrified. GNER ran the Hull Executive from Hull Paragon to London Kings Cross, with one morning journey down to London, the service was operated by a diesel InterCity 125, as the line to Hull is not electrified

Great North Eastern Railway
Great North Eastern Railway
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The GNER crest
Great North Eastern Railway
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InterCity 225 set at Leeds
Great North Eastern Railway
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Class 43 43116 at Edinburgh Waverley, with a service from Aberdeen to Leeds. These trains were used on routes where the line was not fully electrified, and on the route from London King's Cross to Skipton.

3.
Eurostar
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Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Avignon, Brussels, Lille, Lyon, Marseille and Paris. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel, the London terminus is St Pancras International, with the other British calling points being Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International in Kent. Calling points in France are Calais-Fréthun and Lille-Europe, with trains to Paris terminating at Gare du Nord, Trains to Belgium terminate at Midi/Zuid station in Brussels. In addition, there are limited services from London to Disneyland Paris at Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy, services to southern France as of 1 May 2015 and seasonal services to the Alps in winter. The service is operated by 27 eighteen-coach Class 373/1 trains which run at up to 300 kilometres per hour on a network of high-speed lines. The LGV Nord line in France opened before Eurostar services began in 1994, the French and Belgian parts of the network are shared with Paris–Brussels Thalys services and also with TGV trains. Eurostar has become the dominant operator on the routes that it operates, other operators have expressed an interest in starting competing services following deregulation in 2010. On 1 September 2010, Eurostar was incorporated as a corporate entity called Eurostar International Limited. EIL is owned by SNCF, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Hermes Infrastructure, in June 2014, the UK shareholding in Eurostar International Limited was transferred from London and Continental Railways / Department for Transport to HM Treasury. In October 2014, it was announced that the UK government planned to raise £300 million by selling that stake. In March 2015, the UK government announced that it would be selling its 40% share to an Anglo-Canadian consortium made up of Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec and this sale was completed in May 2015. The history of Eurostar can be traced to the 1986 choice of a tunnel to provide a cross-channel link between Britain and France. A previous attempt at constructing a tunnel between the two nations had begun in 1974, but was quickly aborted, in 1988 construction began on a new basis. Eurotunnel was created to manage and own the tunnel, which was finished in 1993, British Rail and SNCF contracted with Eurotunnel to use half the tunnels capacity for this purpose. In 1987 Britain, France and Belgium set up an International Project Group to specify a train to provide an international high-speed passenger service through the tunnel. An order for 30 trainsets, to be manufactured in France but with some British, on 20 June 1993, the first Eurostar test train travelled through the tunnel to the UK. Various technical difficulties in running the new trains on British tracks were quickly overcome, on 14 November 1994 Eurostar services began between Waterloo International station in London, Gare du Nord in Paris and Brussels-South railway station in Brussels. In 1995 Eurostar was achieving an average speed of 171.5 km/h between London and Paris

4.
Paris
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Paris is the capital and most populous city of France. It has an area of 105 square kilometres and a population of 2,229,621 in 2013 within its administrative limits, the agglomeration has grown well beyond the citys administrative limits. By the 17th century, Paris was one of Europes major centres of finance, commerce, fashion, science, and the arts, and it retains that position still today. The aire urbaine de Paris, a measure of area, spans most of the Île-de-France region and has a population of 12,405,426. It is therefore the second largest metropolitan area in the European Union after London, the Metropole of Grand Paris was created in 2016, combining the commune and its nearest suburbs into a single area for economic and environmental co-operation. Grand Paris covers 814 square kilometres and has a population of 7 million persons, the Paris Region had a GDP of €624 billion in 2012, accounting for 30.0 percent of the GDP of France and ranking it as one of the wealthiest regions in Europe. The city is also a rail, highway, and air-transport hub served by two international airports, Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly. Opened in 1900, the subway system, the Paris Métro. It is the second busiest metro system in Europe after Moscow Metro, notably, Paris Gare du Nord is the busiest railway station in the world outside of Japan, with 262 millions passengers in 2015. In 2015, Paris received 22.2 million visitors, making it one of the top tourist destinations. The association football club Paris Saint-Germain and the rugby union club Stade Français are based in Paris, the 80, 000-seat Stade de France, built for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, is located just north of Paris in the neighbouring commune of Saint-Denis. Paris hosts the annual French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament on the red clay of Roland Garros, Paris hosted the 1900 and 1924 Summer Olympics and is bidding to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. The name Paris is derived from its inhabitants, the Celtic Parisii tribe. Thus, though written the same, the name is not related to the Paris of Greek mythology. In the 1860s, the boulevards and streets of Paris were illuminated by 56,000 gas lamps, since the late 19th century, Paris has also been known as Panam in French slang. Inhabitants are known in English as Parisians and in French as Parisiens and they are also pejoratively called Parigots. The Parisii, a sub-tribe of the Celtic Senones, inhabited the Paris area from around the middle of the 3rd century BC. One of the areas major north-south trade routes crossed the Seine on the île de la Cité, this place of land and water trade routes gradually became a town

Paris
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In the 1860s Paris streets and monuments were illuminated by 56,000 gas lamps, making it literally "The City of Light."
Paris
Paris
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Gold coins minted by the Parisii (1st century BC)
Paris
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The Palais de la Cité and Sainte-Chapelle, viewed from the Left Bank, from the Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry (month of June) (1410)

5.
Brussels
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Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels which is the capital of Belgium. The Brussels-Capital Region is a part of both the French Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community, but is separate from the region of Flanders or Wallonia. The region has a population of 1.2 million and an area with a population of over 1.8 million. Brussels is the de facto capital of the European Union as it hosts a number of principal EU institutions, the secretariat of the Benelux and the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are also located in Brussels. Today, it is considered an Alpha global city, historically a Dutch-speaking city, Brussels has seen a language shift to French from the late 19th century onwards. Today, the majority language is French, and the Brussels-Capital Region is a bilingual enclave within the Flemish Region. All road signs, street names, and many advertisements and services are shown in both languages, Brussels is increasingly becoming multilingual with increasing numbers of migrants, expatriates and minority groups speaking their own languages. The most common theory of the origin of Brussels name is that it derives from the Old Dutch Broekzele or Broeksel, meaning marsh, Saint Vindicianus, the bishop of Cambrai made the first recorded reference to the place Brosella in 695 when it was still a hamlet. The origin of the settlement that was to become Brussels lies in Saint Gaugericus construction of a chapel on an island in the river Senne around 580. The official founding of Brussels is usually situated around 979, when Duke Charles of Lower Lotharingia transferred the relics of Saint Gudula from Moorsel to the Saint Gaugericus chapel, Charles would construct the first permanent fortification in the city, doing so on that same island. Lambert I of Leuven, Count of Leuven gained the County of Brussels around 1000 by marrying Charles daughter, as it grew to a population of around 30,000, the surrounding marshes were drained to allow for further expansion. The Counts of Leuven became Dukes of Brabant at about this time, in the 13th century, the city got its first walls. After the construction of the city walls in the early 13th century, to let the city expand, a second set of walls was erected between 1356 and 1383. Today, traces of it can still be seen, mostly because the small ring, Brabant had lost its independence, but Brussels became the Princely Capital of the prosperous Low Countries, and flourished. In 1516 Charles V, who had been heir of the Low Countries since 1506, was declared King of Spain in St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral in Brussels. Upon the death of his grandfather, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor in 1519 and it was in the Palace complex at Coudenberg that Charles V abdicated in 1555. This impressive palace, famous all over Europe, had expanded since it had first become the seat of the Dukes of Brabant. In 1695, during the Nine Years War, King Louis XIV of France sent troops to bombard Brussels with artillery, together with the resulting fire, it was the most destructive event in the entire history of Brussels

6.
London
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London /ˈlʌndən/ is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain and it was founded by the Romans, who named it Londinium. Londons ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its 1. 12-square-mile medieval boundaries. London is a global city in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism. It is crowned as the worlds largest financial centre and has the fifth- or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world, London is a world cultural capital. It is the worlds most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the worlds largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic, London is the worlds leading investment destination, hosting more international retailers and ultra high-net-worth individuals than any other city. Londons universities form the largest concentration of education institutes in Europe. In 2012, London became the first city to have hosted the modern Summer Olympic Games three times, London has a diverse range of people and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken in the region. Its estimated mid-2015 municipal population was 8,673,713, the largest of any city in the European Union, Londons urban area is the second most populous in the EU, after Paris, with 9,787,426 inhabitants at the 2011 census. The citys metropolitan area is the most populous in the EU with 13,879,757 inhabitants, the city-region therefore has a similar land area and population to that of the New York metropolitan area. London was the worlds most populous city from around 1831 to 1925, Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Pauls Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, and The Shard. The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world, the etymology of London is uncertain. It is an ancient name, found in sources from the 2nd century and it is recorded c.121 as Londinium, which points to Romano-British origin, and hand-written Roman tablets recovered in the city originating from AD 65/70-80 include the word Londinio. The earliest attempted explanation, now disregarded, is attributed to Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae and this had it that the name originated from a supposed King Lud, who had allegedly taken over the city and named it Kaerlud. From 1898, it was accepted that the name was of Celtic origin and meant place belonging to a man called *Londinos. The ultimate difficulty lies in reconciling the Latin form Londinium with the modern Welsh Llundain, which should demand a form *lōndinion, from earlier *loundiniom. The possibility cannot be ruled out that the Welsh name was borrowed back in from English at a later date, and thus cannot be used as a basis from which to reconstruct the original name. Until 1889, the name London officially applied only to the City of London, two recent discoveries indicate probable very early settlements near the Thames in the London area

7.
Channel Tunnel
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At its lowest point, it is 75 m deep below the sea bed, and 115 m below sea level. The speed limit for trains in the tunnel is 160 kilometres per hour, the tunnel carries high-speed Eurostar passenger trains, the Eurotunnel Shuttle for road vehicles—the largest such transport in the world—and international freight trains. The tunnel connects end-to-end with the LGV Nord and High Speed 1 high-speed railway lines, ideas for a cross-Channel fixed link appeared as early as 1802, but British political and press pressure over the compromising of national security stalled attempts to construct a tunnel. An early attempt at building a Channel Tunnel was made in the late 19th century, the eventual successful project, organised by Eurotunnel, began construction in 1988 and opened in 1994. At £5.5 billion, it was at the time the most expensive project ever proposed. The cost finally came in at £9 billion, well over its predicted budget, since its construction, the tunnel has faced several problems. Both fires and cold weather have temporarily disrupted its operation, illegal immigrants have attempted to use the tunnel to enter the UK, causing a minor diplomatic disagreement over the siting of the refugee camp at Sangatte, which was eventually closed in 2002. Migrants have also died attempting to cross through the tunnel, in 1839, Aimé Thomé de Gamond, a Frenchman, performed the first geological and hydrographical surveys on the Channel, between Calais and Dover. In 1865, a deputation led by George Ward Hunt proposed the idea of a tunnel to the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the day, around 1866, William Low and Sir John Hawkshaw promoted ideas, but apart from preliminary geological studies none were implemented. An official Anglo-French protocol was established in 1876 for a railway tunnel. On the English side a 2. 13-metre diameter Beaumont-English boring machine dug a 1, on the French side, a similar machine dug 1,669 m from Sangatte. The project was abandoned in May 1882, owing to British political and these early works were encountered more than a century later during the TML project. The French did not take the idea seriously and nothing came of Lloyd Georges proposal, in 1929 there was another proposal but nothing came of this discussion and the idea was shelved. Proponents estimated construction to be about US$150 million, the engineers had addressed the concerns of both nations military leaders by designing two sumps—one near the coast of each country—that could be flooded at will to block the tunnel. This design feature did not override the concerns of both military leaders, and other concerns about hordes of undesirable tourists who would disrupt English habits of living. Military fears continued during World War II, the estimate caused rumours that Germany had already begun digging. In 1935, a British film from Gaumont Studios, The Tunnel and it referred briefly to its protagonist, a Mr. McAllan, as having completed a British Channel tunnel successfully in 1940, five years into the future of the films release. By 1955, defence arguments had become less relevant due to the dominance of air power, in 1958 the 1881 workings were cleared in preparation for a £100,000 geological survey by the Channel Tunnel Study Group

Channel Tunnel
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Class 319 EMUs ran excursions trips into the tunnel from Sandling railway station on 7 May 1994, the first passenger trains to do so
Channel Tunnel
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Map of the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
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The Channel Tunnel exhibit at the National Railway Museum in York, England, showing the circular cross section of the tunnel with the overhead line powering a Eurostar train. Also visible is the segmented tunnel lining
Channel Tunnel
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Interior of Eurotunnel Shuttle, a vehicle shuttle train. The largest railway wagon in the world, the shuttle trains transport vehicles between terminals at either end of the tunnel

8.
High-speed rail
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High-speed rail is a type of rail transport that operates significantly faster than traditional rail traffic, using an integrated system of specialized rolling stock and dedicated tracks. The first such system began operations in Japan in 1964 and was known as the bullet train. High-speed trains normally operate on standard gauge tracks of continuously welded rail on grade-separated right-of-way that incorporates a large turning radius in its design, only in Europe does HSR cross international borders. China has 22,000 kilometres of HSR as of end December 2016, while high-speed rail is most often designed for passenger travel, some high-speed systems also offer freight service. Multiple definitions for high-speed rail are in use worldwide, the European Union Directive 96/48/EC, Annex 1 defines high-speed rail in terms of, Infrastructure, track built specially for high-speed travel or specially upgraded for high-speed travel. Minimum Speed Limit, Minimum speed of 250 km/h on lines built for high speed. This must apply to at least one section of the line, Rolling stock must be able to reach a speed of at least 200 km/h to be considered high speed. Operating conditions, Rolling stock must be designed alongside its infrastructure for complete compatibility, safety and quality of service, category II – Existing tracks specially upgraded for high speeds, allowing a maximum running speed of at least 200 km/h. Category III – Existing tracks specially upgraded for high speeds, allowing a maximum running speed of at least 200 km/h, the UIC prefers to use definitions because they consider that there is no single standard definition of high-speed rail, nor even standard usage of the terms. They make use of the European EC Directive 96/48, stating that high speed is a combination of all the elements which constitute the system, infrastructure, rolling stock and operating conditions. The International Union of Railways states that high-speed rail is a set of unique features, many conventionally hauled trains are able to reach 200 km/h in commercial service but are not considered to be high-speed trains. These include the French SNCF Intercités and German DB IC, National domestic standards may vary from the international ones. Railways were the first form of land transportation and had an effective monopoly on passenger traffic until the development of the motor car. Speed had always been an important factor for railroads and they tried to achieve higher speeds. The line used three-phase current at 10 kilovolts and 45 Hz, on 23 October 1903, the S&H-equipped railcar achieved a speed of 206.7 km/h and on 27 October the AEG-equipped railcar achieved 210.2 km/h. These trains demonstrated the feasibility of electric high-speed rail, however, after the breakthrough of electric railroads, it was clearly the infrastructure – especially the cost of it – which hampered the introduction of high-speed rail. Several disasters happened – derailments, head-on collisions on single-track lines, collisions with traffic at grade crossings. The physical laws were well-known, i. e. if the speed was doubled, the radius should be quadrupled

9.
English Channel
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The English Channel, also called simply the Channel, is the body of water that separates southern England from northern France, and links the southern part of the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. It is about 560 km long and varies in width from 240 km at its widest to 33.3 km in the Strait of Dover and it is the smallest of the shallow seas around the continental shelf of Europe, covering an area of some 75,000 km2. The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the English Channel as follows, a line joining Isle Vierge to Lands End. The southwestern limit of the North Sea, the IHO defines the southwestern limit of the North Sea as a line joining the Walde Lighthouse and Leathercoat Point. The Walde Lighthouse is 6 km east of Calais, and Leathercoat Point is at the end of St Margarets Bay. The Strait of Dover, at the Channels eastern end, is its narrowest point and it is relatively shallow, with an average depth of about 120 m at its widest part, reducing to a depth of about 45 m between Dover and Calais. Eastwards from there the adjoining North Sea reduces to about 26 m in the Broad Fourteens where it lies over the watershed of the land bridge between East Anglia and the Low Countries. It reaches a depth of 180 m in the submerged valley of Hurds Deep,48 km west-northwest of Guernsey. The eastern region along the French coast between Cherbourg and the mouth of the Seine river at Le Havre is frequently referred to as the Bay of the Seine. There are several islands in the Channel, the most notable being the Isle of Wight off the English coast. The coastline, particularly on the French shore, is indented, several small islands close to the coastline, including Chausey. The Cotentin Peninsula in France juts out into the Channel, whilst on the English side there is a parallel channel known as the Solent between the Isle of Wight and the mainland. The Celtic Sea is to the west of the Channel, the Channel is of geologically recent origins, having been dry land for most of the Pleistocene period. The first flood would have lasted for months, releasing as much as one million cubic metres of water per second. The flood started with large but localized waterfalls over the ridge, the flow eroded the retaining ridge, causing the rock dam to fail and releasing lake water into the English Channel. The erosion of the Lobourg Channel was probably the final opening of the Strait, the time difference of about six hours between high water at the eastern and western limits of the Channel is indicative of the tidal range being amplified further by resonance. It was never defined as a border and the names were more or less descriptive. It was not considered as the property of a nation, strangely, before the development of the modern nations, British scholars very often referred to it as Gaulish and the French one as British or English

English Channel
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English Channel
English Channel
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Three French river mouths. Top to bottom: the Somme, the Authie and the Canche
English Channel
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The Hermitage of St Helier lies in the bay off Saint Helier and is accessible on foot at low tide.
English Channel
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British radar facilities during the Battle of Britain 1940

10.
TGV
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TGV is Frances intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF, the national rail operator. It was developed in the 1970s by GEC-Alsthom and SNCF, originally designed as turbotrains to be powered by gas turbines, the prototypes evolved into electric trains with the 1973 oil crisis. A TGV test train set the record for the fastest wheeled train, in mid-2011, scheduled TGV trains operated at the highest speeds in conventional train service in the world, regularly reaching 320 km/h on the LGV Est, LGV Rhin-Rhône, and LGV Méditerranée. The commercial success of the first LGV, the LGV Sud-Est, led to an expansion of the network to the south, and new lines in the west, north, and east. Eager to emulate the TGVs success, neighbouring countries Italy, Spain, Several future lines are planned, including extensions within France and to surrounding countries. Cities such as Tours have become part of a TGV commuter belt around Paris, in 2007, SNCF generated profits of €1.1 billion driven largely by higher margins on the TGV network. The idea of the TGV was first proposed in the 1960s, at the time the French government favoured new technology, exploring the production of hovercraft and the Aérotrain air-cushion vehicle. Simultaneously, SNCF began researching high-speed trains on conventional tracks, in 1976, the government agreed to fund the first line. By the mid-1990s, the trains were so popular that SNCF president Louis Gallois declared TGV The train that saved French railways, TGV001 was not a wasted prototype, its gas turbine was only one of its many new technologies for high-speed rail travel. It also tested high-speed brakes, needed to dissipate the large amount of energy of a train at high speed, high-speed aerodynamics. It was articulated, i. e. two adjacent carriages shared a bogie, allowing free yet controlled motion with respect to one another and it reached 318 km/h, which remains the world speed record for a non-electric train. Its interior and exterior were styled by British-born designer Jack Cooper, whose work formed the basis of early TGV designs, changing the TGV to electric traction required a significant design overhaul. The first electric prototype, nicknamed Zébulon, was completed in 1974, testing such as innovative body mounting of motors, pantographs, suspension. Body mounting of motors allowed over 3 tonnes to be eliminated from the power cars, the prototype travelled almost 1,000,000 km during testing. In 1976 the French government funded the TGV project, and construction of the LGV Sud-Est, the line was given the designation LN1, Ligne Nouvelle 1. After two pre-production trainsets had been tested and substantially modified, the first production version was delivered on 25 April 1980, the LGV opened to the public between Paris and Lyon on 27 September 1981. Contrary to its earlier fast services, SNCF intended TGV service for all types of passengers and this commitment to a democratised TGV service was enhanced in the Mitterrand era with the promotional slogan Progress means nothing unless it is shared by all. The TGV was considerably faster than normal trains, cars, or aeroplanes, the trains became widely popular, the public welcoming fast and practical travel

TGV
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Three TGV trains at ParisGare de l'Est
TGV
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A TGV driver's cab
TGV
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A TGV Duplex trainset coupled to a Reseau trainset leaving Paris Gare de Lyon
TGV
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A TGV Sud-Est set in the original orange livery, since superseded by silver and blue

11.
Glasgow Central railway station
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Glasgow Central is the major mainline rail terminus in Glasgow, Scotland. The station was opened by the Caledonian Railway on 1 August 1879 and is one of nineteen managed by Network Rail and it is the northern terminus of the West Coast Main Line, and for inter-city services between Glasgow and England. The other main railway station in Glasgow is Glasgow Queen Street. With over 30 million passengers in 2015-16, Glasgow Central is the twelfth-busiest railway station in Britain, according to Network Rail, over 38 million people use it annually, 80% of whom are passengers. The station is protected as a category A listed building, the station was built over the site of Grahamston village, whose central street was demolished to make way for the station platform. In 1890, a solution of widening the bridge over Argyle Street. It was also intended to increase Bridge Street station to eight through lines. The Glasgow Central Railway was taken over by the Caledonian Railway in 1890, by 1900 the station was again found to be too small, passenger numbers per annum on the high-level station having increased by 5.156 million since the first extension was completed in 1890. Passenger usage per annum in 1899 was 16.841 million on the station and 6.416 million on the low-level station. The station is on two levels, the High-Level station at the level as Gordon Street, which bridges over Argyle Street. Between 1901 and 1905 the original station was rebuilt, the station was extended over the top of Argyle Street, and thirteen platforms were built. An additional eight-track bridge, the Caledonian Railway Bridge, was built over the Clyde, Bridge Street station was then closed. Also during the 1901–1905 rebuild a series of sidings was created at the end of Platforms 11 and 12 on the bridge over the River Clyde and these were named West Bank Siding, Mid Bank Siding and East Bank Siding. A dock siding – No.14 Dock was created at the end of Platform 13. Central Station has a spacious concourse containing shops, catering outlets, ticket offices and it is fronted by the Central Hotel on Gordon Street, designed by Robert Rowand Anderson. The station building houses a long line of shops and bars down the Union Street side. The undercroft of the station is not open to the public, it houses private car-parking. Underneath the Umbrella is an array of shops and bars, as well as the Arches nightclub, theatre, gallery

Glasgow Central railway station
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Inside Glasgow Central, looking north east across the main concourse
Glasgow Central railway station
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View of Central station from 5th floor of Radisson SAS hotel, with the distinctive facade of Hielanman's Umbrella and Argyle Street passing under it in the centre, May 2009
Glasgow Central railway station
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The Gordon Street entrance of Central Station, with The Central Hotel above it
Glasgow Central railway station
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The Edwardian-era Booking Office and train information building

12.
East Coast Main Line
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The East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long railway link between London and Edinburgh via Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington and Newcastle, electrified along the whole route. Services north of Edinburgh to Aberdeen and Inverness use diesel trains, the main franchise on the line is operated by Virgin Trains East Coast. The route forms a key artery on the side of Great Britain and is broadly paralleled by the A1 trunk road. It links London, the South East and East Anglia, with Yorkshire and it also carries key commuter flows for the north side of London. It is important to the health of several areas of England and Scotland. It also handles cross-country, commuter and local services. The route has ELRs ECM1 - ECM9, the line was built by three railway companies, each serving their own area, but with the intention of linking up to form the through route that became the East Coast Main Line. In 1923 the three companies were grouped into the London and North Eastern Railway and this later became part of British Railways in 1948. The Selby Diversion was opened in 1983 and diverged from the original ECML at Temple Hirst Junction, north of Doncaster, the ECML has been the backdrop for a number of famous rail journeys and locomotives. The line was worked for years by Pacific locomotives designed by Gresley, including the famous steam locomotives Flying Scotsman. Mallard achieved a record speed for a steam locomotive, at 126 miles per hour. It made the run on the Grantham-to-Peterborough section, on the descent of Stoke Bank, steam locomotives were replaced by Diesel electrics in the early 1960s, when the purpose-built Deltic locomotive was developed by English Electric. The prototype was successful and a fleet of 22 locomotives was built, the Class 55s were powered by two Napier Deltic engines originally developed for fast torpedo boats, with the three crankshaft triangular configuration of the engines giving the Deltic name. Their characteristic throaty exhaust roar and chubby body outline made them unmistakable, the Class 55 was for a time the most powerful diesel locomotive in service in Britain, at 3,300 hp. Just after the Deltics were introduced, the first sections of the East Coast Main Line were upgraded to allow 100 miles per hour running. The first length to be cleared for the new higher speed was a 17 miles stretch between Peterborough and Grantham on 15 June 1965, the second was 12 miles between Grantham and Newark. A prototype of the HST, the Class 41 achieved 143 mph on the line in 1973, a secondary factor was that the signalling technology of the time was insufficient to allow detection of two broken rails on the line on which the train was operating. Locomotives have operated on the ECML at speeds of up to 161.7 mph in test runs. 3A equipment and this included the Hertford Loop Line

13.
Manchester Piccadilly station
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Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. Opened as Store Street in 1842 and renamed Manchester London Road in 1847, the station has twelve terminal platforms in the train shed and two through platforms to the south of it. Piccadilly is a interchange with the Metrolink light rail system. Six train operating companies operate services to and from Piccadilly and it is the second busiest interchange station outside London, with almost 3.8 million passengers changing trains at the station annually. The stations refurbishment took five years and cost £100m in 2002, a TWAO application to build two new platforms was made in October 2016 and construction is expected to commence on completion of the Ordsall Chord in January 2018. There are plans for five new platforms in the High Speed 2 proposals, a temporary terminus on Travis Street opened in June 1840 when the Manchester and Birmingham Railway opened its line to Stockport. In 1842 the companys Store Street station, consisting of two platforms and offices, adjacent to London Road, was completed and by then the line extended to Crewe, the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway shared the station from 1844 as the terminus of its line. The station name was changed to London Road in 1847 and it retained that name until 1960, in 1849, the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway, which became the Great Central Railway, was formed. London Road was overcrowded by the 1860s, and the relationship between the companies using it was poor, in 1862 the companies agreed to rebuild the station so it could be split in two. As traffic continued to increase the station was expanded and two added to the train shed in 1881. The MSJAR platforms and the bridge over Fairfield Street were demolished, the adjacent Mayfield station opened in 1910 providing four platforms which alleviated overcrowding at Piccadilly. It closed to passengers in 1960 and closed permanently in 1986, the Mayfield station building still exists and can still be seen on approach to Piccadilly and from platforms 13 and 14. Following the 1923 railway grouping, the station was served by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, after nationalisation in 1948, London Road station was operated as two independent stations, separated by iron railings on platform 5. On one side was the London Midland Region of British Railways, the MSJAR platforms and bridges over Fairfield Street were replaced. The island platforms were located on a new pre-stressed concrete slab bridge with cantilevered sides for the tracks, in the early 1970s, as part of the Picc-Vic tunnel project, there were proposals to build an underground station, Piccadilly Low Level. The project was cancelled, and subsequent rail improvements concentrated on surface projects, the stations undercroft, the two levels below the main rail platforms, was converted in the early 1990s to provide two platforms for the Manchester Metrolink tram system. Piccadillys island platforms were rebuilt and lengthened in 1988 in connection with the opening of the Windsor Link. The glass roof over the platforms was completely replaced in the late 1990s

Manchester Piccadilly station
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Manchester Piccadilly
Manchester Piccadilly station
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A 1910 Railway Clearing House Junction Diagram showing railways in Manchester
Manchester Piccadilly station
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Manchester London Road station frontage in the 1900s.
Manchester Piccadilly station
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Piccadilly station in 1989, with the concourse building opened in 1960, this was later redeveloped in 2002.

14.
West Coast Main Line
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The West Coast Main Line is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. It is one of the busiest mixed-traffic railway routes in Europe, carrying a mixture of intercity rail, regional rail, the core route of the WCML runs from London to Glasgow, with branches diverging to Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool, totalling a route mileage of 700 miles. Services from London to North Wales and Edinburgh also run via the WCML and it is one of the busiest freight routes in Europe, carrying 40% of all UK rail freight traffic. The line is the rail freight corridor linking the European mainland through London and South East England to the West Midlands. The line has been declared a strategic European route and designated a priority Trans-European Networks route, other traffic is limited to 110 mph. The route between Rugby and Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Stafford was the main line until the Trent Valley Line was built in 1847. A further branch at Carstairs links Edinburgh to the WCML, providing a connection between the WCML and the East Coast Main Line. This legacy means the WCML has limitations as a main line, with lower maximum speeds than the East Coast Main Line route. The WCML was not originally conceived as a trunk route. After the completion of the successful Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830, and so this is how the early stages of the WCML evolved. The first stretch of what is now the WCML was the Grand Junction Railway connecting Liverpool and Manchester to Birmingham, via Crewe, Stafford, the following year the London and Birmingham Railway was completed, connecting to the capital via Coventry, Rugby and the Watford Gap. Three other sections, the North Union Railway, the Lancaster and Preston Junction Railway, another important section, the North Staffordshire Railway, which opened its route in 1848 from Macclesfield to Stafford and Colwich via Stoke-on-Trent also remained independent. Poor relations between the LNWR and the NSR meant that trains did not run until 1867. The route to Scotland was marketed by the LNWR as The Premier Line, because the cross-border trains ran over the LNWR and Caledonian Railway, through trains consisted of jointly owned West Coast Joint Stock to simplify operations. The first direct London to Glasgow trains in the 1850s took 12.5 hours to complete the 400-mile journey, the final sections of what is now the WCML were put in place over the following decades by the LNWR. To expand capacity, the line between London and Rugby was widened to four tracks in the 1870s, as part of this work, a new line, the Northampton Loop was built, opening in 1881, connecting Northampton before rejoining the main line at Rugby. The route came under the control of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway on 1 January 1923 when railway companies were grouped, the LMS competed fiercely with the rival LNERs East Coast Main Line for London to Scotland traffic. As part of the 1955 modernisation plan, the line was modernised and electrified in stages between 1959 and 1974, the first stretch to be electrified was Crewe to Manchester, completed on 12 September 1960

15.
Nightstar (train)
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The Nightstar was a proposed overnight sleeper service from various parts of United Kingdom to continental Europe, via the Channel Tunnel. To run alongside the Eurostar and north of London day-time Regional Eurostar services, while some carriages were built, the project was cancelled in 1997 for lack of commercial viability. Some of the stock was sold to Canada, where it became Via Rails Renaissance train fleet. The trains were to use equipment based on the British Rail Mark 4 coaches modified for long distance service, a fleet of 139 cars were originally ordered, broken down as 47 seated cars,72 sleeper cars and 20 service vehicles. The cars would have normally been configured as 9 seven-car and 9 eight-car sub-sets, the trains would have run as either individual sub-sets, or as two sets coupled together. As the trains were designed to run as fixed formation sub-sets, each sleeper car had 20 beds, split over 10 cabins. All cabins had a toilet and basinette, while six cabins had an en-suite shower. The beds could be folded into the wall to provide seating, the seated area would have been coupled to the seated cars and the cabin end to the sleeper cars. On electrified lines the services were to be hauled by Class 92 locomotives and these locomotives were built and designed as multipowered electric units for this role as well as hauling Channel Tunnel freight services. They are dual-voltage locomotives able to operate on 750 V DC lines and 25 kV AC lines and this class was designed as mixed-use locomotive, and were to be used Nightstar cross-channel passenger sleeper services. The locomotives were given the name Astride, derived from Asynchrone Tri-system Drive Engine, sixty locomotives were delivered between 1997 and 2002, numbered BB36001 to BB36060. BB36001 to BB36030 received a red livery, and were used for trains to Belgium. The remainder received a freight livery, and were mainly used for trains to Italy. In July 2010 the locomotives numbered 36001 to 36030 were transferred to SNCFs rolling stock leasing subsidiary Akiem, on non-electrified routes Nightstar services would have been hauled by a diesel engine. When first proposed British Rail intended to obtain these locomotives as part of an order for a new class of diesel locomotive. This order was not forthcoming so a tender was put out for the six locomotives required, however the cost of such a small order of locomotives was excessively high so the decision was taken to use pairs of refurbished Class 37/5 locomotives instead. Twelve were selected and refurbished for their new duties, and renumbered as the 37/6 class, some were retained by Eurostar for use as rescue locomotives, all were eventually sold to Direct Rail Services. The Class 37/6 locomotives do not have ETS generating capability so could not provide the power required by the services of the Nightstar trains

16.
Plymouth railway station
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Plymouth railway station serves the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. It is on the edge of the city centre, close to the North Cross roundabout. The station is managed by Great Western Railway, being on the Exeter to Plymouth line,245 miles 75 chains down-line from London Paddington via the Great Western Main Line, Plymouth is also the junction for the Cornish Main Line to Penzance and the Tamar Valley Line to Gunnislake. Services are operated by Great Western Railway and CrossCountry, the Panel Signal Box at the station controls all trains between Totnes in Devon, and Liskeard in Cornwall. Originally named Plymouth North Road, it was opened in 1877 as a joint station for the Great Western Railway and it was expanded in 1908 but a major rebuilding scheme that started in 1938 was delayed by the Second World War and was not completed until 1962. The first railway station in Plymouth was opened by the South Devon Railway on 2 April 1849 at Millbay and this company amalgamated with the GWR in 1876, just as the LSWR was completing its rival route from London to Plymouth. North Road station was opened on 28 March 1877 to provide a joint facility for trains of both companies. It was just west of the earlier Mutley railway station, while at its west end a new junction allowed access to the Cornwall Railway. The station was built of wood and the platforms were covered by train sheds. It originally had just two platforms but additional platforms were added in a scheme executed in 1908. Further major rebuilding work started in 1938, one box was replaced and the second moved to make way for the new works. Work was soon stopped due to the Second World War but on North Road was increased when Millbay station had to be closed to passengers in 1941 following an air raid. The old LSWR Friary station was closed from 15 September 1958, the rebuilding work was resumed in 1956 and the new station with its large office block, Intercity House, was formally opened by Dr Richard Beeching, the British Railways Chairman, on 26 March 1962. The office block was intended to be the point of Armada Way, counterbalancing the tower of the Civic Centre at the southern end. The station now had seven platforms, although two of these were converted to terminal bay platforms in 1974. Outside the station a car park was provided, which was rebuilt in its current multistorey form in the 1970s, in recent times there have been updates to the station. On 3 April 2016, Class 150 diesel multiple unit 150219 collided with a stationary InterCity 125 High Speed Train at platform 6, Class 43 power car 43160 and the DMU were damaged. Forty-six people were injured, one seriously, the station was originally controlled from two signal boxes

Plymouth railway station
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Plymouth
Plymouth railway station
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A GWR 'Small Prairie' 2-6-2T at Plymouth in 1958
Plymouth railway station
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The signal box built in 1960
Plymouth railway station
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Plymouth station from the east. A CrossCountry train is standing in platform 4.

17.
Cardiff Central railway station
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Cardiff Central railway station is a major railway station on the South Wales Main Line in Cardiff, United Kingdom and one of two hubs of the citys urban rail network. Cardiff Central is a Grade II listed building managed by Arriva Trains Wales and it is an interchange between the rest of South and West Wales, and other major British cities. Arriva Trains Wales operate services to West Wales, Holyhead, Crewe and Manchester, in the early 1840s the South Wales Railway was trying to find a suitable site for a railway station, but the area that is now Cardiff Central railway station was prone to flooding. It was Isambard Kingdom Brunels solution to divert the River Taff to the west, the initial part of the South Wales Railway between Chepstow and Swansea through Cardiff was opened on 18 June 1850, with all trains operated by the Great Western Railway under a lease agreement. The Great Western Railway has its full name carved onto the façade, as a result of representations by the GWR, a nearby working-class district, Temperance Town, was cleared during the late 1930s in order to improve the outlook of the rebuilt station. The formerly separate Cardiff Riverside suburban station of 1893 was integrated into the station in 1940. Initially named Cardiff, the station was renamed Cardiff General in July 1924, the station, its entrances and platforms, are Grade II listed. There are two entrances to the station, the northern main entrance leads to the main concourse and is on Central Square, the plaza that accommodates Cardiff Central bus station, a multi-storey car park and two main city centre taxi ranks. Three main city centre landmarks are visible here, the Millennium Stadium, Stadium House. The southern entrance is at the rear of the station on Tresillian Way, accessed from St. Mary Street, the railway lines are above the stations concourses. A valid ticket is required to pass through a barrier and gain access to the platforms, the station has the only First Class waiting room in Wales. Outside, an NCP pay-and-display car park provides 248 spaces, British Transport Police maintains a presence at Cardiff Central. In December 2009, the force announced a pilot scheme to arm officers at the station, as well as in London and Manchester. Cardiff Central has eight platforms, numbered 0,1,2, there is no longer, despite signage, a Platform 5, this was a west-facing bay platform situated between Platforms 3 and 4. Platforms 3 and 4 are divided into A and B sections and are capable of holding two local trains or a single HST train, other platforms can be used by more than one train, but are not sectioned. Platform 6 is used by Valley Lines trains to the north and east of Cardiff, every train from Platform 6 calls at Cardiff Queen Street. Valley Line trains from Cardiff Queen Street call at Platform 7 and 8 and continue to north-west Cardiff, some of these trains were operated by Class 67 and Class 57 locomotives with four Mk2 coaches for a time. Platform 4a/4b Arriva Trains Wales, Fishguard Harbour, Swansea via Bridgend, Port Talbot Parkway and Neath Maesteg via Pontyclun and Bridgend, usually Class 158 or Class 150 Sprinter units from Cheltenham Spa

Cardiff Central railway station
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Frontage of Cardiff Central station
Cardiff Central railway station
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Cardiff General in May 1970
Cardiff Central railway station
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Class 47, Mark 2c coaches and some BRUTEs, September 1975
Cardiff Central railway station
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A mosaic outside the station

18.
Great Western Main Line
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The Great Western main line is a main line railway in Great Britain, that runs westwards from Londons Paddington station to Bristol Temple Meads. It was the route of the pre-1948 Great Western Railway which was merged into the Western Region of British Railways and is now a part of the national rail system managed by Network Rail. The line is currently being electrified and it was electrified from Paddington to Heathrow Airport in the late 1990s. Work to electrify the remainder of the started in 2011 with an initial aim to complete the work all the way to Bristol by 2016. The programme however has been deferred for six years with no end completion forecast because costs have tripled. The four sections that are delayed are, Oxford to Didcot Parkway, Bristol Parkway to Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa to Bristol Temple Meads and the Thames Valley branches to Henley and Windsor. The line was built by the Great Western Railway and engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel as a track line using a wider 7 ft broad gauge and was opened in stages between 1838 and 1840. The alignment was so level and straight it was nicknamed ‘Brunel’s Billiard Table’ and it was supplemented with a third rail for dual gauge operation allowing standard gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in trains to also operate on the route in stages between 1854 and 1875. The broad gauge remained in use until 1892, evidence of the original broad gauge can still be seen at many places where bridges are a wider than usual, or where tracks are ten feet apart instead of the usual six. The original dual tracks were widened to four track in places between 1877 and 1899. Further widenings of the line took place between 1903 and 1910, the railways returned to direct government control during World War II before being nationalised to form British Railways in 1948. More widening infrastructure work took place between 1931 and 1932, and the extension to south wales was quadrupled 1941, the line speed was upgraded in the 1970s to support the introduction of the InterCity 125. Under the 1979–90 Conservative governments that succeeded the 1976–79 Labour government the proposal was not implemented, the route of the GWML includes dozens of listed buildings and structures, including tunnel portals, bridges and viaducts, stations, and associated hotels. Grade I listed structures on the line include London Paddington, Wharncliffe Viaduct, the 1839 Tudor gothic River Avon Bridge in Bristol, from London to Didcot, the line follows the Thames Valley, crossing the River Thames three times, including on the famous Maidenhead Railway Bridge. After Swindon, trains pass the Swindon Steam Railway Museum, from Wootton Bassett there are two different routes to Bristol, firstly via Box Tunnel and secondly via Bristol Parkway. It is also possible to run via the Wessex Main Line, beyond Bristol, some trains continue on the Bristol to Taunton Line to Weston-super-Mare or beyond. Main line and local services are provided by Great Western Railway, the stations served by trains between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads are, Slough, Reading, Didcot Parkway, Swindon, Chippenham, and Bath Spa. Local services on this route are operated by GWR and BAA under the Heathrow Connect name

19.
Longsight
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Longsight is an inner city area of Manchester, England, about 3 miles south of the city centre. Historically in Lancashire, it had a population of 15,429 at the 2011 census, Longsight is an ethnically diverse area, with high levels of poverty, deprivation and crime. For many years, Longsight has been plagued by gang related violence, most of the violence came from tensions between two rival gangs which fought turf wars with each other since the 1990s, resulting in many shootings and several deaths. Longsight has been in the constituency of Manchester Gorton since boundary changes in 1983. Since that year, Gorton was represented in the House of Commons by the Labour MP, the Rt Hon Sir Gerald Kaufman until his death in 2017. At the 2015 General Election, Labour won 28,187 votes and 67. 1% of the vote, the Greens came second with 4,108 votes and the Conservatives third with 4,063. Councillors The area is represented on Manchester City Council by three councillors, currently Luthfur Rahman, Abid Chohan and Suzanne Richards, Abid Chohan was initially a Lib Dem councillor but defected to Labour ahead of the local council elections in 2010. Previously known as Grindlow Marsh, it was incorporated into the City of Manchester in 1890, the district is bordered by Ardwick to the north, Rusholme to the west, Levenshulme to the south, and Gorton to the east. The old Roman road to Buxton roughly bisects the area, Longsight has a very ethnically diverse population. According to the 2011 UK census,72. 9% of the population is from ethnic groups. This includes 55. 3% who describe themselves as Asian or Asian British, the largest religious group is Muslim with 53. 8% of the population, compared with the 2001 figure of 34. 7% Muslim and 38. 6% Christian. Only 7. 0% of the population declined to state a religion, the census tended to underestimate immigrant communities, and it is likely that these groups in Longsight were underestimated are now proportionately larger. The main shopping centre is near the corner of Stockport Road and Dickenson Road, Longsight Market, one of the busiest markets in the North West of England, is located on Dickenson Road. It can be spotted by its brightly coloured profiled roofs. The market hosts a market every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. The area of Longsight contains many of the buildings of Victoria Park. Pankhursts family house is situated on the edge of Longsight at Plymouth Grove. Larger Victorian period properties are clustered around the leafy western parts of Longsight

Longsight
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Much of the housing stock of Longsight consists of red-brick terraced houses
Longsight
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Former First Church of Christ, Scientist by Edgar Wood
Longsight
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Slade Hall

20.
Manchester
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Manchester is a major city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 514,414 as of 2013. It lies within the United Kingdoms second-most populous urban area, with a population of 2.55 million, Manchester is fringed by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east and an arc of towns with which it forms a continuous conurbation. The local authority is Manchester City Council and it was historically a part of Lancashire, although areas of Cheshire south of the River Mersey were incorporated during the 20th century. Throughout the Middle Ages Manchester remained a township but began to expand at an astonishing rate around the turn of the 19th century. Manchesters unplanned urbanisation was brought on by a boom in textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution, Manchester achieved city status in 1853. The Manchester Ship Canal opened in 1894, creating the Port of Manchester and its fortunes declined after the Second World War, owing to deindustrialisation. The city centre was devastated in a bombing in 1996, but it led to extensive investment, in 2014, the Globalization and World Cities Research Network ranked Manchester as a beta world city, the highest-ranked British city apart from London. Manchester is the third-most visited city in the UK and it is notable for its architecture, culture, musical exports, media links, scientific and engineering output, social impact, sports clubs and transport connections. Manchester Liverpool Road railway station was the worlds first inter-city passenger railway station and in the city scientists first split the atom, the name Manchester originates from the Latin name Mamucium or its variant Mancunium and the citizens are still referred to as Mancunians. These are generally thought to represent a Latinisation of an original Brittonic name, both meanings are preserved in languages derived from Common Brittonic, mam meaning breast in Irish and mother in Welsh. The suffix -chester is a survival of Old English ceaster and their territory extended across the fertile lowland of what is now Salford and Stretford. Central Manchester has been settled since this time. A stabilised fragment of foundations of the version of the Roman fort is visible in Castlefield. After the Roman withdrawal and Saxon conquest, the focus of settlement shifted to the confluence of the Irwell, much of the wider area was laid waste in the subsequent Harrying of the North. Thomas de la Warre, lord of the manor, founded and constructed a church for the parish in 1421. The church is now Manchester Cathedral, the premises of the college house Chethams School of Music. The library, which opened in 1653 and is open to the public today, is the oldest free public reference library in the United Kingdom. Manchester is mentioned as having a market in 1282, around the 14th century, Manchester received an influx of Flemish weavers, sometimes credited as the foundation of the regions textile industry

21.
High Speed 1
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High Speed 1, legally the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, is a 109-kilometre high-speed railway between London and the United Kingdom end of the Channel Tunnel. The line crosses the River Medway, and under the River Thames and it cost £5.8 billion to build and opened on 14 November 2007. Trains reach speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour on section 1, intermediate stations are at Stratford International in London and Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International in Kent. International passenger services are provided by Eurostar, with times of London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord in 2 hours 15 minutes. As of November 2015, Eurostar has used a fleet of 27 Class 373/1 multi-system trains capable of 300 kilometres per hour and 320 kilometres per hour Class 374 trains, domestic high-speed commuter services serving the intermediate stations and beyond began on 13 December 2009. The fleet of 29 Class 395 passenger trains reach speeds of 225 kilometres per hour, DB Cargo UK run freight services on High Speed 1 using adapted Class 92 locomotives, enabling flat wagons carrying continental-size swap body containers to reach London for the first time. The CTRL project saw new bridges and tunnels built, with a combined length nearly as long as the Channel Tunnel itself, in 2002, the CTRL project was awarded the Major Project Award at the British Construction Industry Awards. The line was transferred to government ownership in 2009, with a 30-year concession for its operation being put up for sale in June 2010. The concession was awarded to a consortium of Borealis Infrastructure and Ontario Teachers Pension Plan in November 2010, a high-speed rail line, LGV Nord, has been in operation between the Channel Tunnel and the outskirts of Paris since the Tunnels opening in 1994. This has enabled Eurostar rail services to travel at 300 km/h for this part of their journey, a similar high-speed line in Belgium, from the French border to Brussels, HSL1, opened in 1997. In Britain, Eurostar trains had to run at a maximum of 160 km/h on existing tracks between London Waterloo and the Channel Tunnel and these tracks were shared with local traffic, limiting the number of services that could be run, and jeopardising reliability. The next plan for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link involved a tunnel reaching London from the south-east, and this opened the possibility of reusing the underused St Pancras station as the terminus, with access via the North London Line that crosses the throat of the station. The idea of using the North London line proved illusory, and it was rejected in 1994 by the then Transport Secretary, John MacGregor, as too difficult to construct and environmentally damaging. The idea of using St Pancras station as the core of the new terminus was retained, the original LCR consortium members were National Express Group, Virgin Group, S. G. Warburg & Co, Bechtel and London Electric. While the project was development by British Rail it was managed by Union Railways. On 14 November 2006, LCR adopted High Speed 1 as the name for the completed railway. Official legislation, documentation and line-side signage have continued to refer to CTRL, as the 1987 Channel Tunnel Act made government funding for a Channel tunnel rail link unlawful, construction did not take place as it was not financially viable. Construction was delayed until passage of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Act 1996 which provided construction powers that ran for the following 10 years, the chief executive of the time Rob Holden stated that it was the largest land acquisition programme since the Second World War

High Speed 1
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High Speed 1 approaching the Medway Viaducts.
High Speed 1
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High Speed 1
High Speed 1
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Train 3313/3314 served as a laboratory train, reaching 300 km/h (186 mph) during Section 1 testing in 2003
High Speed 1
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A Eurostar service on the CTRL, near Ashford

22.
North London Line
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The North London line is a railway line of the London Overground, which passes through the inner suburbs of north London, England. Its route is a rough semicircle between the south-west and the north-east, avoiding central London, the line is owned and maintained by Network Rail and London Overground. It is an important freight route and is used by the Richmond to Stratford service of the London Overground, also, between Richmond and Gunnersbury, London Undergrounds District line shares tracks with London Overground services, although this part is also owned and maintained by Network Rail. The line reopened on 1 June 2010 with a service and none on Sundays, and with the upgrade work completed. The later construction of the Royal Victoria Dock necessitated a swing-bridge on the route south of Canning Town which was rerouted in 1850 via Custom House. The original route was retained as the Silvertown Tramway, a freight line connected at both ends to the new main line. The main central section opened from 1850 to 1852 as the East & West India Docks & Birmingham Junction Railway and this gave a link from the Euston main line near Primrose Hill to the docks at Poplar via Bow. In the west, the North & South Western Junction Railway was opened in 1853 from Willesden Junction to a junction with the Hounslow Loop Line near Kew Bridge, the last link in the east was opened between the NLR near Victoria Park and Stratford in 1854. To obviate NLR trains running on the busy Euston main line, to give the NLR direct access to the City of London, the City extension to Broad Street was opened from Dalston Junction in 1865. The final part of the route was the opening of a link from South Acton to Richmond by the London & South Western Railway in 1869, the line from Broad Street to Kew Bridge and Richmond was electrified by the LNWR in 1916 on the 4th-rail DC system. In 1944, passenger services on the NLR Poplar branch ceased, freight traffic continued on the branch to the docks on the Isle of Dogs until 1980. The trackbed of the part of the branch, from Poplar to Bow, was used for the Docklands Light Railway branch to Stratford. The service was listed for closure in the 1963 Beeching Report and it was saved after a huge campaign. The line was Grant Aided under the Transport Act 1968 and came under threat when the Conservative Government of 1970-71 proposed to reduce Grant Aid funding. That threat, eventually lifted, led to the founding of a new group, the North London Line Committee. In 1979, the North Woolwich to Stratford service was extended to Camden Road as the CrossTown LinkLine service, using the same Cravens-built diesel multiple unit trains. There were no stations until, in 1980, Hackney Wick was opened, near the site of the former Victoria Park station and Hackney Central was re-opened. New platforms were built at West Ham for interchange with the adjacent Underground station, in the 1980s, Broad Street station closed and the Tottenham Hale–Stratford link and the station at Lea Bridge ceased to be used by regular passenger trains

23.
British Rail
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British Railways, which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies and lasted until the privatisation of British Rail. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commission, the period of nationalisation saw sweeping changes in the national railway network. A process of dieselisation and electrification took place, and by 1968 steam locomotion had been replaced by diesel and electric traction. Passengers replaced freight as the source of business, and one-third of the network was closed by the Beeching Axe of the 1960s in an effort to reduce rail subsidies. On privatisation, responsibility for track, signalling and stations was transferred to Railtrack, the British Rail double arrow logo is formed of two interlocked arrows showing the direction of travel on a double track railway and was nicknamed the arrow of indecision. The rail transport system in Great Britain developed during the 19th century, during World War I the railways were under state control, which continued until 1921. Complete nationalisation had been considered, and the Railways Act 1921 is sometimes considered as a precursor to that, nationalisation was subsequently carried out after World War II, under the Transport Act 1947. This Act made provision for the nationalisation of the network, as part of a policy of nationalising public services by Clement Attlees Labour Government. British Railways came into existence as the name of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commission on 1 January 1948 when it took over the assets of the Big Four. There were also joint railways between the Big Four and a few railways to consider. Excluded from nationalisation were industrial lines like the Oxfordshire Ironstone Railway, the London Underground – publicly owned since 1933 – was also nationalised, becoming the London Transport Executive of the British Transport Commission. The Bicester Military Railway was already run by the government, the electric Liverpool Overhead Railway was also excluded from nationalisation. The Railway Executive was conscious that some lines on the network were unprofitable and hard to justify socially, however, the general financial position of BR became gradually poorer, until an operating loss was recorded in 1955. The Executive itself had abolished in 1953 by the Conservative government. Other changes to the British Transport Commission at the time included the return of road haulage to the private sector. British Railways was divided into regions which were based on the areas the former Big Four operated in, later. Western Region of British Railways, former Great Western Railway lines, London Midland Region of British Railways, former London Midland and Scottish Railway lines in England

24.
Privatisation of British Rail
–
The privatisation of British Rail was the process by which ownership and operation of the railways of Great Britain passed from government control into private hands. Begun in 1994, it had completed by 1997. Historically, the British railways had been in ownership since 1948. It was under Thatchers successor John Major that the railways themselves were privatised, the operations of the BRB were broken up and sold off, with various regulatory functions transferred to the newly created office of the Rail Regulator. Ownership of the infrastructure including the stations passed to Railtrack, while track maintenance. Ownership and operation of trains passed to two companies – English Welsh & Scottish and Freightliner, less than the originally intended six. Despite opposition from the Labour Party, who gained power in 1997 under Tony Blair, the process has never been reversed wholesale by any government. A significant change came in 2001 with the collapse of Railtrack, the regulatory structures have also subsequently changed. Historically, the railway companies were almost entirely self-sufficient, including, for example. As a consequence of the nationalisation of the railways in 1948 some of these activities had been hived off to other nationalised industries and institutions, e. g. The preferred organisational structure in the 1970s was for the BRB to form wholly owned subsidiaries which were run at an arms-length relationship, there were five Regions, each region being formed of several Divisions, and each division of several Areas. The chain of British Transport Hotels was sold off, mainly one hotel at a time, sealink was sold in 1984 to Sea Containers, who ultimately sold the routes to their current owner, Stena Line. Also catering business Travellers Fare was sold in 1988 to a management buyout team, BREL Ltd was soon sold to the Swiss-Swedish conglomerate ASEA Brown-Boveri, which renamed the company ABB Transportation. A merger between ABB Transportation and Daimler Benz created ADtranz on 1 January 1996, ADtranz was subsequently taken over by the Canadian-owned conglomerate, for reasons of efficiency and to reduce the amount of subsidy required from government British Rail undertook a comprehensive organisational restructuring in the late 1980s. Commuter services in the south-east came under the London & South East sector, Services in Scotland were operated by ScotRail, and Provincial sector handled local and rural routes. The regional management structure continued in parallel for a few years before it was abolished, sectorisation was generally regarded within the industry as a great success, and it was to have a considerable effect on the way in which privatisation would be carried out. Although owned and maintained by Foster Yeoman, the Class 59s were manned by British Rail staff, during acceptance trials, on 16 February 1986 locomotive 59001 hauled a train weighing 4639 tonnes – the heaviest load ever hauled by a single non-articulated traction unit. In Sweden in 1988 the State Railways, Statens Järnvägar, was split into two – Banverket to control the network, and SJ to operate the trains

Privatisation of British Rail
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A 1950s Mk1-based Class 411 (4-CEP) "slam-door" EMU at London Victoria station, in Network SouthEast livery (March 2003)
Privatisation of British Rail
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British Rail Class 59 (59001 in revised Foster Yeoman livery) Private ownership of locomotives marked the start of a new era in railfreight haulage
Privatisation of British Rail
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Sticker affixed to ticket machines in the run-up to privatisation detailing how the new "National Conditions of Carriage" supersede any pre-printed ticket and poster information.
Privatisation of British Rail
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First Great Western Class 166 No. 166218 at London Paddington.

25.
South East England
–
South East England is the most populous of the nine official regions of England at the first level of NUTS for statistical purposes. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, as with the other regions of England, apart from Greater London, the south east has no elected government. It is the third largest region of England, with an area of 19,096 km², and is also the most populous with a population of over eight. Its proximity to London and connections to several national motorways have led to south east England becoming an economic hub and it is the location of Gatwick Airport, the UKs second-busiest airport, and its coastline along the English Channel provides numerous ferry crossings to mainland Europe. The region is known for its countryside, which includes the North Downs, the River Thames flows through the region and its basin is known as the Thames Valley. The region has many universities, the University of Oxford is ranked among the best in the world. South east England is host to sporting events, including the annual Henley Royal Regatta, Royal Ascot and the Epsom Derby. Some of the events of the 2012 Summer Olympics were held in the south east, including the rowing at Eton Dorney, the largest city in the region is Brighton & Hove. The dominant influence on the economy is neighbouring London. The highest point is Walbury Hill in Berkshire at 297 metres, until 1999, there was a south east Standard Statistical Region, which also included the counties of Bedfordshire, Greater London, Essex and Hertfordshire. The former south east Civil Defence Region covered the area as the current government office region. The South East is also used as a synonym for the home counties. The population of the region at the 2011 census was 8,634,750 making it the most populous English region, the major conurbations of the region include Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton, Portsmouth, Southampton and Reading. Settlements closer to London are part of the known as the Greater London Urban Area. The South East has the highest percentage of people born outside of Britain other than London. Estimates in 2007 state 87. 2% of people as White British,4. 8% Other White,3. 5% South Asians,1. 5% Mixed Race,1. 6% Black British,0. 7% Chinese,0. 7% Other. The area also has some seats where there is support for other parties, for example, Slough and Oxford for Labour. Buckingham, the seat of Speaker John Bercow, is also in this region, out of 83 parliamentary seats, the Conservatives hold 78

26.
Eurostar International Limited
–
Eurostar International Limited is the railway company operating the international Eurostar train services between London, Paris and Brussels via the Channel Tunnel. Eurostar was previously operated by three companies in Belgium, France and the United Kingdom, but this structure was replaced by EIL as a new single management company on 1 September 2010. EIL is owned by SNCF, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Hermes Infrastructure, Eurostar International is the largest customer of Eurotunnel, the owners of the Channel Tunnel. Eurostar International was formed in 1990 as European Passenger Services, as the division of British Rail responsible for the UK section of the Eurostar operation. Eurostar trains began operating on 14 November 1994, with EPS, NMBS/SNCB, on 1 April 1994, EPS signed a fixed-rate track access contract with Railtrack lasting until 29 July 2052 as part of the plans for Regional Eurostar services. The privatisation of British Rail saw ownership of EPS transferred to London and this was part of the contract agreed with the Government of the United Kingdom for LCR build and operate High Speed 1 between London and the Channel Tunnel. The company was renamed Eurostar Limited and was to use the income from EUKL to help finance the HS1 project, following financial assistance from the government in 1998, LCR was forced to appoint a management contract for EUKL. Bids for the contract were submitted by Virgin Rail Group and Inter-Capital and Regional Rail, the latter was awarded the contract which was to run from 1998 until 2010. In January 2009, after the completion of HS1, the UKs Department for Transport took control of LCR, deutsche Bahn expressed an interest in EUKL but no sale materialised. On 31 December 2009, EUKL was renamed Eurostar International Limited, on 1 September 2010, the three national Eurostar operators merged into EIL as a single company with a single management structure. Following this change, the ICRR management contract for the UK business was terminated, once all Eurostar assets were transferred to EIL, the holdings in the company were amended to LCR, NMBS/SNCB and SNCF. LCR sold a 30-year concession to operate HS1 in November 2010 to a Canadian consortium of Borealis Infrastructure, EIL then paid access charges to the consortium to operate Eurostar trains on HS1. On 4 December 2013, the UK Government announced it was looking to sell LCRs 40% stake in EIL, in January 2014, in a joint venture with Keolis, Eurostar was shortlisted to bid for the East Coast franchise in the United Kingdom. However, a bid by Virgin Trains East Coast, a consortium of Stagecoach and Virgin, in June 2014, the UKs 40% shareholding in EIL was transferred from LCR to HM Treasury, and a sale process was launched on 13 October 2014. In March 2015, the Treasury announced it had sold the stake to Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and it also confirmed agreement to redeem its preference share in EIL for £172m, raising £757. 1m in total. EIL is the owner of 38 Class 373 sets and these consist of 31 Three Capitals Eurostar trains and seven North of London Regional Eurostar trains. Following delivery during 2014 onwards, they also become the owner of seventeen British Rail Class 374 sets. These are sixteen-carriage Siemens Velaro units which use distributed traction power

Eurostar International Limited
–
Class 373 sets at London Waterloo in May 2005
Eurostar International Limited
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Eurostar International Limited

27.
SNCF
–
SNCF is Frances national state-owned railway company and manages the rail traffic in France and the Principality of Monaco. SNCF operates the national rail services, including the TGV. Its functions include operation of services for passengers and freight. SNCF employs more than 180,000 people in 120 countries around the globe, the railway network consists of about 32,000 km of route, of which 1,800 km are high-speed lines and 14,500 km electrified. About 14,000 trains are operated daily, since July 2013, SNCF headquarters are located in a Parisian suburb at 2, place aux Étoiles,93200 Saint Denis. In 2010 SNCF was ranked 22nd in France and 214th globally on the Fortune Global 500 list and it is the main business of the SNCF group, which in 2014 employed 245,763 people and had €27.2 billion of sales in 120 countries. The chairman of the SNCF group is Guillaume Pépy, SNCF operates almost all of Frances railway system, including the TGV, In the 1970s, SNCF began the TGV high-speed train programme with the intention of creating the worlds fastest railway network. It came to fruition in 1981, when the first TGV service, today, SNCF operates 1,850 km of designated high-speed track that accommodate more than 800 high-speed services per day. SNCF’s TGV trains carry more than 100 million passengers a year, TGV lines and TGV technology are now spread across several European countries in addition to South Korea.8 km/h. SNCF has a safety record. After nearly 30 years in operation, SNCF’s TGV system has experienced one fatal accident. SNCF also owns the tracks and the stations, since the 1990s, SNCF has been selling railway carriages to regional governments, with the creation of the Train Express Régional brand. SNCF also maintains a broad scope of business that includes work on freight lines, inter-city lines. SNCF experts provide logistics, design, construction, operations and maintenance services, SNCF operates the international ticketing agency, Voyages SNCF. SNCF has employees in 120 countries offering extensive overseas and cross border consulting and those projects include, Israel, Assistance and Training. SNCF International provides assistance to Israel Railways in every area of operations including projects to upgrade the networks general safety regulations. Other assistance and training programmes involve Infrastructure and the Traction Division, SNCF supervised the prime contractor responsible for construction of the Taiwan Railways Administration’s main high-speed rail line. It also trained rail traffic controllers, drivers, and crew members, on behalf of the Government of Taiwan, SNCF managed the high-speed railway Command Control Centre

28.
National Railway Company of Belgium
–
SNCB/NMBS is the national railway company of Belgium. The company formally styles itself using the Dutch and French abbreviations NMBS/SNCB, however it is referred to in English. The corporate logo designed in 1936 by Henry van de Velde consists of the linguistically neutral letter B in a horizontal oval, NMBS/SNCB is an autonomous government company, formed in 1926 as successor to the Belgian State Railways. Essentially, this was a move to facilitate future liberalisation of railway freight, several freight operators have since received access permissions for the Belgian network. In February 2011, NMBS/SNCB Logistics began operating as a separate business, faced with rising losses, in June 2012, the Belgian transport minister announced further reform, NMBS/SNCB Holding would be split up, so NMBS/SNCB would be separate from Infrabel. In 2008 NMBS/SNCB carried 207 million passengers a total of 8,676 million passenger-kilometres over a network of 3,536 kilometres

National Railway Company of Belgium
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Route map

29.
InterCapital and Regional Rail
–
Eurostar International Limited is the railway company operating the international Eurostar train services between London, Paris and Brussels via the Channel Tunnel. Eurostar was previously operated by three companies in Belgium, France and the United Kingdom, but this structure was replaced by EIL as a new single management company on 1 September 2010. EIL is owned by SNCF, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Hermes Infrastructure, Eurostar International is the largest customer of Eurotunnel, the owners of the Channel Tunnel. Eurostar International was formed in 1990 as European Passenger Services, as the division of British Rail responsible for the UK section of the Eurostar operation. Eurostar trains began operating on 14 November 1994, with EPS, NMBS/SNCB, on 1 April 1994, EPS signed a fixed-rate track access contract with Railtrack lasting until 29 July 2052 as part of the plans for Regional Eurostar services. The privatisation of British Rail saw ownership of EPS transferred to London and this was part of the contract agreed with the Government of the United Kingdom for LCR build and operate High Speed 1 between London and the Channel Tunnel. The company was renamed Eurostar Limited and was to use the income from EUKL to help finance the HS1 project, following financial assistance from the government in 1998, LCR was forced to appoint a management contract for EUKL. Bids for the contract were submitted by Virgin Rail Group and Inter-Capital and Regional Rail, the latter was awarded the contract which was to run from 1998 until 2010. In January 2009, after the completion of HS1, the UKs Department for Transport took control of LCR, deutsche Bahn expressed an interest in EUKL but no sale materialised. On 31 December 2009, EUKL was renamed Eurostar International Limited, on 1 September 2010, the three national Eurostar operators merged into EIL as a single company with a single management structure. Following this change, the ICRR management contract for the UK business was terminated, once all Eurostar assets were transferred to EIL, the holdings in the company were amended to LCR, NMBS/SNCB and SNCF. LCR sold a 30-year concession to operate HS1 in November 2010 to a Canadian consortium of Borealis Infrastructure, EIL then paid access charges to the consortium to operate Eurostar trains on HS1. On 4 December 2013, the UK Government announced it was looking to sell LCRs 40% stake in EIL, in January 2014, in a joint venture with Keolis, Eurostar was shortlisted to bid for the East Coast franchise in the United Kingdom. However, a bid by Virgin Trains East Coast, a consortium of Stagecoach and Virgin, in June 2014, the UKs 40% shareholding in EIL was transferred from LCR to HM Treasury, and a sale process was launched on 13 October 2014. In March 2015, the Treasury announced it had sold the stake to Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and it also confirmed agreement to redeem its preference share in EIL for £172m, raising £757. 1m in total. EIL is the owner of 38 Class 373 sets and these consist of 31 Three Capitals Eurostar trains and seven North of London Regional Eurostar trains. Following delivery during 2014 onwards, they also become the owner of seventeen British Rail Class 374 sets. These are sixteen-carriage Siemens Velaro units which use distributed traction power

InterCapital and Regional Rail
–
Class 373 sets at London Waterloo in May 2005
InterCapital and Regional Rail
–
Eurostar International Limited

30.
Richard Branson
–
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate, investor and philanthropist. He founded the Virgin Group, which more than 400 companies. Branson expressed his desire to become an entrepreneur at a young age, at the age of sixteen his first business venture was a magazine called Student. In 1970, he set up a mail-order record business, in 1972, he opened a chain of record stores, Virgin Records, later known as Virgin Megastores. Bransons Virgin brand grew rapidly during the 1980s, as he set up Virgin Atlantic airline, in March 2000, Branson was knighted at Buckingham Palace for services to entrepreneurship. For his work in retail, music and transport, his taste for adventure, in 2002 he was named in the BBCs poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. In January 2016, Forbes listed Bransons estimated net worth at $5.2 billion, Branson was born in Blackheath, London, the eldest of three children of Eve Branson, a former ballet dancer and air hostess, and Edward James Branson, a barrister. His grandfather, the Right Honourable Sir George Arthur Harwin Branson, was a judge of the High Court of Justice, Branson was educated at Scaitcliffe School, a prep school in Berkshire, before briefly attending Cliff View House School in Sussex. His third great-grandfather, John Edward Branson, left England for India in 1793 and his father, Harry Wilkins Branson, later joined him in Madras. On the show Finding Your Roots, Branson was shown to have 3. 9% South Asian DNA, Branson attended Stowe School, an independent school in Buckinghamshire until the age of sixteen. Branson has dyslexia and had poor performance, on his last day at school, his headmaster, Robert Drayson. Bransons parents were supportive of his endeavours from an early age, One of her most successful ventures was building and selling wooden tissue boxes and wastepaper bins. Branson started his business from a church where he ran Student magazine. Branson interviewed several prominent personalities of the late 1960s for the magazine including Mick Jagger, Branson advertised popular records in The Student and it was an overnight success. Trading under the name Virgin, he records for considerably less than the High Street outlets. Branson once said, There is no point in starting your own business unless you do it out of a sense of frustration, the name Virgin was suggested by one of Bransons early employees because they were all new at business. At the time, many products were sold under restrictive marketing agreements that limited discounting, Branson eventually started a record shop in Oxford Street in London. In 1971, Branson was questioned in connection with the selling of records in Virgin stores that had been declared export stock, the matter was never brought before a court because Branson agreed to repay any unpaid tax and a fine

31.
Virgin Rail Group
–
Virgin Rail Group was formed by the Virgin Group to bid for rail franchises in the United Kingdom during the privatisation of British Rail. Virgin bid for a number of franchises, including Gatwick Express, InterCity CrossCountry and it was successful in winning the latter two, and Virgin CrossCountry and Virgin West Coast began operations in January and March 1997 respectively. Both franchises were scheduled to run for 15 years, in 1998 Virgin Rail, as part of the Capital Rail consortium, was shortlisted for an Australian high-speed rail service from Sydney to Canberra. In October 1998 Virgin Group sold 49% of the shares in Virgin Rail Group to Stagecoach, in March 2000 Virgin was shortlisted to bid for the InterCity East Coast franchise. In January 2002 the Strategic Rail Authority scrapped the refranchising process, while the terms of the West Coast franchise were renegotiated, agreement could not be reached on CrossCountry and it was retendered in 2007. This bid had a 10% shareholding for the incumbent, Sea Containers, Virgin was awarded a contract by the Department for Transport in July 2008 to manage the introduction of 106 extra Class 390 Pendolino carriages. Virgin was shortlisted for the InterCity West Coast franchise by the Department for Transport in March 2011, in August 2012 the Department for Transport awarded FirstGroup the new franchise. Virgin felt that the used to award the franchise was flawed. When the Department for Transport did not respond to Virgins concerns, Virgin Rail Group responded to this by offering a voucher worth £20 to allow employees to purchase a top to wear underneath the new blouses. In March 2015, Virgin Trains East Coast commenced operating the InterCity East Coast franchise, however instead of being run by Virgin Rail Group, this is run by Inter City Railways which is majority owned by Stagecoach, with Virgin Group only holding a 10% shareholding

32.
InterCity 125
–
InterCity 125 was the brand name of British Rails diesel-powered High Speed Train fleet, which was built from 1975 to 1982 and was introduced in 1976. An InterCity 125 train is made up of two Class 43 power cars, one at end of a fixed formation of Mark 3 carriages. Initially the sets were classified as Classes 253 and 254, a variant of the power cars operates in Australia as part of the XPT. Most sets are to be replaced on InterCity services by 2018 under the Intercity Express Programme, at first, that programme called for some HSTs to continue in use on London to Devon/Cornwall services where there are no plans to electrify the lines. One is in use, as Network Rails New Measurement Train, converted. In the later 1950s and early 1960s, the British Transport Commission was modernising its rail network, in particular, it wanted to increase intercity speeds, so that the railways could compete more effectively with the new motorways. Thus, at the instigation of Terry Miller, Chief Engineer, an operational prototype of this train was to be built by 1972. The prototype high-speed diesel train, which was to become the InterCity 125, was to be formed of a rake of coaches sandwiched between two power cars, one at each end. Also a factor in the decision was that the use of two locomotives, operating in formation, would cause less wear on the rails than a single, much heavier. The framework of the new locomotive, classified British Rail Class 41, was built at Crewe Works before being transferred to Derby Carriage and Wagon Works for completion. The design of the locomotive incorporated a driving desk fitted around the driver, the prototype became the first diesel locomotive in British railway history to use AC alternators in place of a DC generator, with the output converted to DC when used for traction. The prototype train of seven coaches and two locomotives was completed in August 1972 and by the autumn was running trials on the main line, the following year, high-speed testing was being undertaken on the racing stretch of the East Coast Main Line between York and Darlington. The set had been reduced to two cars and five trailers, and there seems to have been a concerted attempt to see how fast the train would go. On 6 June 1973131 mph was reached, and this maximum was raised as the days went by, by 12 June a world diesel speed record of 143.2 mph was achieved. The drivers believed that 150 mph was possible but the BRB issued instructions for the speed tests to cease. It was believed at the time that this was because the BRB wanted to promote the APT as the future of high speed rail travel in the UK. The first production car, numbered 43002, was delivered in late 1975. The streamlined front end lacked conventional buffers, and the drawgear was hidden under a cowling, the single cab front window was much larger than the prototypes, and side windows were included

InterCity 125
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An InterCity 125 in original British Rail livery near Chesterfield
InterCity 125
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Class 252 in 1975 – The prototype HST, seen here at Weston-Super-Mare
InterCity 125
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An InterCity 125 about to depart Manchester Piccadilly on a wet day in 1986
InterCity 125
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InterCity 125 in London Paddington in 1988.

33.
High Speed 2
–
High Speed 2 is a planned high-speed railway in the United Kingdom linking London, Birmingham, the East Midlands, Leeds and Manchester. It would be the second high-speed rail line in Britain, after High Speed 1 which connects London to the Channel Tunnel. The line is to be built in a Y configuration, with London on the bottom of the Y, Birmingham at the centre, Leeds at the top right and Manchester at the top left. Work on the first phase is scheduled to begin in 2017, reaching Birmingham by 2026, Crewe on the leg of the Y by 2027. Carlisle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle, Preston, Sheffield, the HS2 project is being developed by High Speed Two Ltd, a company limited by guarantee established by the UK government and has a projected cost of £56 billion. Peak hour capacity leaving Euston will more than triple once HS2 is running, increasing from 11,300 to 34,900, the project is to be built in two phases. Phase 1 is from London to the West Midlands and phase 2 from the West Midlands to Leeds, Phase 2 is split into two sub-phases. Phase 2a is from the West Midlands to Crewe, Phase 2b will extend the project from Crewe to Manchester, and the West Midlands to Leeds. The government’s decision will go through the process for approval. Although Parliament has approved the first two phases of construction, precise details of the plan and route have not been formalised, and are still open to negotiation and change. For example, the spur to Heathrow airport was dropped from the scheme in 2015, as was the HS1 to HS2 link. The sections either side of the Pennines are open to amended design to accommodate HS3 using sections of HS2 track. In 2009 there were reportedly 5,600 km of high-speed line in operation in Europe, High-speed rail arrived in the United Kingdom with the opening in 2003 of the first part of High Speed 1 between London and the Channel Tunnel. Most of the network in Britain consists of lines constructed during the Victorian era. The government report suggested that the line could be extended to reach Scotland, for the HS2 report, a route was investigated to an accuracy of 50 centimetres. In December 2009 HS2 presented its report to the government, the study investigated the possibility of links to Heathrow Airport and connections with Crossrail, the Great Western Main Line, and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, as displayed in the map shown. On 11 March 2010 the HS2 report and supporting studies were published, the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition, on taking office in May 2010, undertook a review of HS2 plans inherited from the previous government. In March 2010 Theresa Villiers had stated The idea that kind of Wormwood Scrubs International station is the best rail solution for Heathrow is just not credible

High Speed 2
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HS1 (the Channel Tunnel rail link), the first railway line in Britain with an operating speed of more than 250 km/h
High Speed 2
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Preliminary High Speed 2, High Speed 1 and Channel Tunnel Rail links
High Speed 2
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The section of North London Line proposed for the HS1 link, as it passes over Camden Lock railway bridge
High Speed 2
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Crewe station looking NE showing the six converging classic railway lines

34.
Europe
–
Europe is a continent that comprises the westernmost part of Eurasia. Europe is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, yet the non-oceanic borders of Europe—a concept dating back to classical antiquity—are arbitrary. Europe covers about 10,180,000 square kilometres, or 2% of the Earths surface, politically, Europe is divided into about fifty sovereign states of which the Russian Federation is the largest and most populous, spanning 39% of the continent and comprising 15% of its population. Europe had a population of about 740 million as of 2015. Further from the sea, seasonal differences are more noticeable than close to the coast, Europe, in particular ancient Greece, was the birthplace of Western civilization. The fall of the Western Roman Empire, during the period, marked the end of ancient history. Renaissance humanism, exploration, art, and science led to the modern era, from the Age of Discovery onwards, Europe played a predominant role in global affairs. Between the 16th and 20th centuries, European powers controlled at times the Americas, most of Africa, Oceania. The Industrial Revolution, which began in Great Britain at the end of the 18th century, gave rise to economic, cultural, and social change in Western Europe. During the Cold War, Europe was divided along the Iron Curtain between NATO in the west and the Warsaw Pact in the east, until the revolutions of 1989 and fall of the Berlin Wall. In 1955, the Council of Europe was formed following a speech by Sir Winston Churchill and it includes all states except for Belarus, Kazakhstan and Vatican City. Further European integration by some states led to the formation of the European Union, the EU originated in Western Europe but has been expanding eastward since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The European Anthem is Ode to Joy and states celebrate peace, in classical Greek mythology, Europa is the name of either a Phoenician princess or of a queen of Crete. The name contains the elements εὐρύς, wide, broad and ὤψ eye, broad has been an epithet of Earth herself in the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European religion and the poetry devoted to it. For the second part also the divine attributes of grey-eyed Athena or ox-eyed Hera. The same naming motive according to cartographic convention appears in Greek Ανατολή, Martin Litchfield West stated that phonologically, the match between Europas name and any form of the Semitic word is very poor. Next to these there is also a Proto-Indo-European root *h1regʷos, meaning darkness. Most major world languages use words derived from Eurṓpē or Europa to refer to the continent, in some Turkic languages the originally Persian name Frangistan is used casually in referring to much of Europe, besides official names such as Avrupa or Evropa

Europe
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Reconstruction of Herodotus ' world map
Europe
Europe
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A medieval T and O map from 1472 showing the three continents as domains of the sons of Noah — Asia to Sem (Shem), Europe to Iafeth (Japheth), and Africa to Cham (Ham)
Europe
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Early modern depiction of Europa regina ('Queen Europe') and the mythical Europa of the 8th century BC.

35.
Low-cost carrier
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A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts. To make up for revenue lost in decreased ticket prices, the airline may charge for extras like food, priority boarding, seat allocating, as of July 2014, the worlds largest low-cost carrier is Southwest Airlines, which operates in the United States and some surrounding areas. The term originated within the airline industry referring to airlines with an operating cost structure than their competitors. Low-cost carrier business model practices vary widely, some practices are more common in certain regions, while others are generally universal. The common theme among all low-cost carriers is the reduction of cost, traditional airlines have also reduced their cost using several of these practices. Most low-cost carriers operate aircraft configured with a single passenger class and these airlines tend to operate short-haul flights that suit the range of narrow-body planes. Long-range wide-body aircraft are too expensive for low cost carriers. In the past, low-cost carriers tended to operate older aircraft purchased second-hand, such as the McDonnell Douglas DC-9, since 2000, fleets generally consist of the newest aircraft, commonly the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737. In 2013, ch-aviation published a study about the strategy of low-cost carriers. They summarized that major LCCs that order aircraft in large numbers get huge discounts and that saves a lot in operative costs. Aircraft often operate with a set of optional equipment, further reducing costs of acquisition and maintenance, as well as keeping the weight of the aircraft lower. Ryanair seats do not recline and do not have pockets, to reduce cleaning. Pilot conveniences, such as ACARS, may be excluded, often, no in-flight entertainment systems are made available, though many US low-cost carriers do offer satellite television or radio in-flight. It is also becoming a popular approach to install LCD monitors onto the aircraft and broadcast advertisements on them, most do not offer reserved seating, hoping to encourage passengers to board early and quickly, thus decreasing turnaround times. Some allow priority boarding for an extra fee instead of reserved seating, like the major carriers, many low-cost carriers develop one or more bases to maximize destination coverage and defend their market. Many do not operate traditional hubs, but rather focus cities, Airlines often offer a simpler fare scheme, such as charging one-way tickets half that of round-trips. Typically fares increase as the plane fills up, which rewards early reservations, in Europe luggage is not transferred from one flight to another, even if both flights are with the same airline. This saves costs and is thought to encourage passengers to take direct flights, tickets are not sold with transfers, so the airline wont need to take responsibility for a delay

36.
European Union
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The European Union is a political and economic union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe. It has an area of 4,475,757 km2, the EU has developed an internal single market through a standardised system of laws that apply in all member states. Within the Schengen Area, passport controls have been abolished, a monetary union was established in 1999 and came into full force in 2002, and is composed of 19 EU member states which use the euro currency. The EU operates through a system of supranational and intergovernmental decision-making. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community, the community and its successors have grown in size by the accession of new member states and in power by the addition of policy areas to its remit. While no member state has left the EU or its antecedent organisations, the Maastricht Treaty established the European Union in 1993 and introduced European citizenship. The latest major amendment to the basis of the EU. The EU as a whole is the largest economy in the world, additionally,27 out of 28 EU countries have a very high Human Development Index, according to the United Nations Development Programme. In 2012, the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, through the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the EU has developed a role in external relations and defence. The union maintains permanent diplomatic missions throughout the world and represents itself at the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the G7, because of its global influence, the European Union has been described as an emerging superpower. After World War II, European integration was seen as an antidote to the nationalism which had devastated the continent. 1952 saw the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community, the supporters of the Community included Alcide De Gasperi, Jean Monnet, Robert Schuman, and Paul-Henri Spaak. These men and others are credited as the Founding fathers of the European Union. In 1957, Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany signed the Treaty of Rome and they also signed another pact creating the European Atomic Energy Community for co-operation in developing nuclear energy. Both treaties came into force in 1958, the EEC and Euratom were created separately from the ECSC, although they shared the same courts and the Common Assembly. The EEC was headed by Walter Hallstein and Euratom was headed by Louis Armand, Euratom was to integrate sectors in nuclear energy while the EEC would develop a customs union among members. During the 1960s, tensions began to show, with France seeking to limit supranational power, Jean Rey presided over the first merged Commission. In 1973, the Communities enlarged to include Denmark, Ireland, Norway had negotiated to join at the same time, but Norwegian voters rejected membership in a referendum

European Union
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In 1989, the Iron Curtain fell, enabling the union to expand further (Berlin Wall pictured).
European Union
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Flag
European Union
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2009, the Lisbon Treaty entered into force.
European Union
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The 65,993 km (41,006 mi) coastline dominates the European climate (Cyprus).

37.
St Pancras railway station
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St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus located on Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden. It was opened in 1868 by the Midland Railway as the terminus of its main line. When inaugurated, the train shed by William Henry Barlow was the largest single-span roof in the world. The restored station has 15 platforms, a centre. St Pancras is owned by London and Continental Railways and is managed by Network Rail, high-speed domestic services to Kent, run by Southeastern, began in December 2009. St Pancras is often termed the cathedral of the railways, the train shed, completed in 1868 by the engineer William Henry Barlow, was the largest single-span structure built up to that time. The terminal is one of relatively few stations in England to feature multilingual signage, all notices are written in English. Ashford International station has similar bilingual signs, other stations with foreign-language signs include Southall, which has signs in Punjabi, Wallsend Metro station, and Moreton-in-Marsh. In March 2014, the public relations team commissioned a study of mispronounced words. St Pancras occupies a site orientated north/south, deeper than it is wide, the south is bounded by the busy Euston Road, with the frontage provided by the former Midland Grand Hotel. Behind the hotel, the Barlow train shed is elevated 5 m above street level, to the west, the original station is bounded by Midland Road with the British Library on the other side of the road. To the east, it is bounded by Pancras Road and is opposite Kings Cross station, the new northern half of the station is mainly bounded to the east by Camley Street, with Camley Street Natural Park across the road. To the north-east is Kings Cross Central, formerly known as the Railway Lands, a complex of intersecting railway lines crossed by several roads, St Pancras contains four groups of platforms on two levels, accessed via the main concourse at ground level. The below-surface group contains through platforms A and B, and the level has three groups of terminal platforms, domestic platforms 1–4 and 11–13 on each side of international platforms 5–10. The international platforms do not occupy the width of the Barlow train shed. The southern end of The Arcade links to the ticket hall of Kings Cross St Pancras tube station. The main pedestrian entrance is at the end of this concourse, where a subway enables pedestrians to reach Kings Cross station. There are several items of art on display to the public at St Pancras, at the south end of the upper level, a 9-metre high 20-tonne bronze statue named The Meeting Place stands beneath the station clock

St Pancras railway station
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St Pancras station from Euston Road
St Pancras railway station
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East side entrance from Pancras Road (2009)
St Pancras railway station
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English and French overhead information board
St Pancras railway station
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Arriving on one of the Eurostar platforms (2013)

38.
Ebbsfleet International railway station
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Ebbsfleet International railway station is a railway station in Ebbsfleet Valley, in the Borough of Dartford, Kent,10 miles outside the eastern boundary of Greater London, England. It is near Dartford and the Bluewater shopping centre to the west, the station is part of the Thames Gateway urban regeneration, a project of national priority. It stands on the High Speed 1 rail line, around 400 metres south-west of Northfleet railway station, the station lies off the A2 trunk road, about 5 mi from its junction with the M25 motorway. During the London 2012 Olympics, it served as a primary service as it is very close to the M25 motorway. The name Ebbsfleet is a creation of seventeenth-century antiquaries, partly inspired by the name of Ebbsfleet in Thanet,75 km to the east. The station was opened to Eurostar and dedicated in a ceremony by Dame Kelly Holmes on 29 January 2008. The similarity of its name to that of Dartford railway station,6 mi away, was also of concern, the Olympic Javelin or Javelin was a high-speed train shuttle service operated by Southeastern over High Speed 1 during the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. The service ran for the duration of games, between St Pancras International station and this station, via Stratford International station, which is close to the Olympic Park. During the Summer Olympics a service of eight trains an hour ran between St Pancras and Ebbsfleet, calling at Stratford, replacing the usual East Kent highspeed service, two of these were extended to Ashford and one to Faversham. Between 11pm and 1am the service between St Pancras and Ebbsfleet was increased to twelve per hour, on High Speed 1 there are avoiding lines in each direction and four platforms, two serving international Eurostar services and two the Southeastern Highspeed services. Southeastern services travelling between London and the North Kent Line use a junction to the north of the station and are served by another pair of platforms that curve away to the east, ticket barriers control access to all platforms. The Channel Tunnel Rail Link Act allows a total of 9,000 car parking spaces to be constructed, despite being in close proximity to the station, Northfleet has no bus connection to the station. There is a rank directly outside the station entrance/exit. Car rental services for both leisure and business are located in the concourse, the interchange facilities lie at either end of the main station box - taxis, buses and set down at the northern end and coaches to the south of the station box. However, a Crossrail extension from Abbey Wood to Gravesend remains safeguarded, there is a shorter walking route through the car park to the north of Ebbsfleet station, but there are no footpaths provided and this way is obstructed by the car park access barriers. There are no pedestrian or cycle route signs for Ebbsfleet station on any of the possible routes between the stations. As of the Summer 2014 timetable, there are up to five Eurostar services to Paris on Mondays to Fridays, up to four on Saturdays, most of these services run non-stop from Ebbsfleet to Paris, though some also stop at Ashford en route. There are four trains to Brussels on Mondays to Fridays, three on Saturdays and two on Sundays, all Brussels services call at Lille and some also call at Calais

Ebbsfleet International railway station
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Ebbsfleet International
Ebbsfleet International railway station
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Departures (Note: this had the old Eurostar logo)

39.
Ashford International railway station
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Ashford International railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line in England, serving the town of Ashford, Kent. It is 56 miles 9 chains down-line from London Charing Cross and is situated between Pluckley and Westenhanger stations on the main line, domestic trains that call at Ashford are operated by Southeastern and Southern, and international services by Eurostar. Eurostar trains use platforms 3 and 4, while domestic trains use the original platforms 1 and 2, while all tracks are electrified with 750 V DC third rail, platforms 3 to 6 are also electrified with 25 kV50 Hz AC overhead lines. The local bus stops are located at the entrance to the domestic terminal, the international terminal is connected to a multi-storey car park via a footbridge and also to the nearby Ashford Designer Outlet by a signposted footpath. The present station was opened by the South Eastern Railway on 1 December 1842, the station then passed on to the Southern Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. Another station was opened by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway on 1 July 1884 for services via Maidstone East to London and this only lasted 15 years until 1 January 1899 when passenger services were diverted to the former South Eastern Railway station. Remarkably the complete station survived for handling freight and engineering trains until it was closed and demolished around 1999 for construction of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. When sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s by British Rail, the present station was served by Network SouthEast until the privatisation of British Rail, Ashford station has been rebuilt on two occasions in recent history. The station layout up until the early 1960s consisted of two tracks, two through platform loops and two bay platforms accessible from the east for terminating services. The supporting columns of these canopies were stamped with the date 1908, the station was rebuilt as Ashford International during the early 1990s for international services from mainland Europe, this included the addition of two platforms to the north of station. The majority of the overbridge and platform buildings from the early 1960s rebuild were destroyed during the rebuild of the early 1990s, a small section of the 1960s overbridge does remain however, as an emergency exit between the up island platform and the up side car park. There are ticket office windows in the booking hall, as well as ticket vending machines. There is a ticket office window in the Eurostar station. The international ticket counter in the Eurostar station is manned for part of the day. International services started on 8 January 1996, before the completion of High Speed 1 in November 2007, twelve Eurostar trains a day called, heading to Paris or Brussels. However this number was reduced because of the opening of Ebbsfleet International station to 3 trains to Paris, a direct train for Brussels was reinstated in 2009. From May 2015 a new service to Marseille runs up to five times a week. Seasonal Ski trains also run in the months to Bourg-Saint-Maurice in the French Alps

Ashford International railway station
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Ashford International
Ashford International railway station
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The previous station entrance, dating from the 1990s until 2009 when it was extended and redeveloped, and forecourt.

40.
Arthur D. Little
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Arthur D. Arthur D. Little pioneered the concept of contracted professional services. The company played key roles in the development of strategy, operations research, the word processor, the first synthetic penicillin, LexisNexis. Today the company is a management consulting firm operating as a partnership. The roots of the company were started in 1886 by Arthur Dehon Little, an MIT chemist, Griffin, another chemist and a graduate of the University of Vermont who had met when they both worked for Richmond Paper Company. Their new company, Little & Griffin, was located in Boston where MIT was also located, Griffin and Little prepared a manuscript for The Chemistry of Paper-making which was for many years an authoritative text in the area. The book had not been finished when Griffin was killed in a laboratory accident in 1893. The partnership dissolved in 1905 when Walker dedicated his full-time to being in charge of the new Research Laboratory of Applied Chemistry at MIT, Little continued on his own and formally incorporated the company, Arthur D. Little, in 1909. He conducted analytical studies, the precursor of the studies for which the firm would later become famous. He also taught papermaking at MIT from 1893 to 1916, in 1916 ADL was commissioned by the Canadian Pacific Railway to do a survey of Canadas natural resources. In 1917, the moved to a building of its own. Building, at 30 Memorial Drive on the Charles River next to the campus of MIT which had moved to Cambridge from Boston in 1916. In November 1953, ADL opened a 40 acre site for their Acorn Park labs in West Cambridge, Massachusetts, near Arlington, Massachusetts, the Memorial Drive Trust, a tax-exempt retirement trust for the benefit of its employees was set up. It also helped privatize British Rail, generally regarded as one of the most complex privatization exercises in the world, by 2001, Arthur D. Little reached its peak. A new management team had mismanaged the companys business, engaged in manipulation of the Memorial Drive Trust. The ADL board of trustees replaced this management team, but the damage had been done, at an auction in 2002, Paris-based Altran Technologies bought the Arthur D. Little brand name for of the non-U. S. Under Altrans ownership, Arthur D. Little rebuilt its core practices in oil and gas, telecommunications, automotive and manufacturing and chemicals, Arthur D. Little continues to be active and recognized for its expertise in areas combining aspects of technology, innovation, and strategy. A group of Partners prepared a management buyout from the Altran group in 2011, the MBO was completed on 30 December 2011 with the majority of ADL Directors becoming Partners and Shareholders - a small number of Principals as well as the CFO and COO are also shareholders. The firm is led by the elected global CEO, Ignacio Garcia-Alves, currently the firm operates with an elected Board, an elected Compensation Committee, an elected Partnership Committee, and an elected Audit Committee

41.
Midland Main Line
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The Midland Main Line is a major railway line in England from London to Sheffield in the North of England. The line is under the Network Rail description of Route 19, it comprises the lines from Londons St. Pancras station via Leicester, Derby/Nottingham, Express passenger services on the line are operated by East Midlands Trains. The section between St Pancras and Bedford is electrified and forms the northern half of Thameslink, with a fast service to Brighton, a northern part of the route, between Derby and Chesterfield, also forms part of the Cross Country Route operated by CrossCountry. Tracks from Nottingham to Leeds via Barnsley and Sheffield are shared with Northern, East Midlands Local also operates regional and local services using parts of the line. The Midland Main Line was built in stages between the 1830s and the 1870s, the earliest section was opened by the Midland Counties Railway between Nottingham and Derby on 4 June 1839. On 5 May 1840 the section of the route from Trent Junction to Leicester was opened, the line at Derby was joined on 1 July 1840 by the North Midland Railway to Leeds Hunslet Lane via Chesterfield, Rotherham Masborough, Swinton and Normanton. On 10 May 1844 the North Midland Railway, the Midland Counties Railway, without its own route to London, the Midland Railway relied upon a junction at Rugby with the London and Birmingham Railway line for access to the capital at London Euston. By the 1850s the junction at Rugby had become severely congested, the Midland Railway employed Thomas Brassey to construct a new route from Leicester to Hitchin via Kettering, Wellingborough and Bedford. Giving access to London via the Great Northern Railway from Hitchin, the Crimean War resulted in a shortage of labour and finance, and only £900,000 was available for the construction, approximately £15,000 for each mile. To reduce construction costs the railway followed natural contours, resulting in many curves, seven bridges and one tunnel were required, with 60ft cuttings at Desborough and Sharnbrook. There are also major summits at Kibworth, Desbrough and at Sharnbrook where a 1 in 119 gradient from the south over 3 miles takes the line to 340 feet above sea level. This route opened for traffic on 15 April 1857, goods on 4 May and passengers on 8 May. James Allport arranged a deal with the GN to run into Kings Cross for a guaranteed £20,000 a year. Through services to London were introduced in February 1858 and this line met with similar capacity problems at Hitchin as the former route via Rugby, so a new line was constructed from Bedford via Luton to St Pancras which opened on 1 October 1868. The construction of the London extension cost £9,000,000, as traffic built up, the Midland opened a new deviation just north of Market Harborough railway station on 26 June 1885 to remove the flat crossing of the Rugby and Stamford Railway. Plans by the Midland Railway to build a line from Derby to Manchester were thwarted in 1863 by the builders of the Buxton Line who sought to monopolise on the West Coast Main Line. In 1870 the Midland Railway opened a new route from Chesterfield to Rotherham which went through Sheffield, the mid-1870s saw the Midland line extended northwards through the Yorkshire Dales and Eden Valley on what is now called the Settle-Carlisle Railway. Express trains to Leeds and Scotland such as the Thames-Clyde Express mainly used the Midlands corollary Erewash Valley Line, expresses to Edinburgh Waverley, such as The Waverley travelled through Corby and Nottingham

Midland Main Line
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East Midlands Trains HST at Dore.
Midland Main Line
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British Rail APT-E built at Derby rail technical centre and extensively tested on the Midland Main Line its first run being on 25 July 1972 from Derby to Duffield
Midland Main Line
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A Midland Mainline High Speed Train at Nottingham in 2005 introduced in 1983 by British Rail
Midland Main Line
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Former First Capital Connect Class 377 Unit 504 at St Albans City

42.
Leicester
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Leicester is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest, in the 2011 census the population of the City of Leicester unitary authority was 329,839 making it the most populous municipality in the East Midlands region. The associated urban area is also the 11th most populous in England, the name of Leicester is recorded in the 9th-century History of the Britons as Cair Lerion, and in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as Ligora-ceastre. In the Domesday Book of 1086, it is recorded as Ledecestre, the second element of the name comes from the Latin castrum which is reflected in both Welsh cair and Anglo-Saxon ceastre. Based on the Welsh name, Geoffrey of Monmouth proposes a king Leir of Britain as a founder in his Historia Regum Britanniae. Leicester is one of the oldest cities in England, with a going back at least two millennia. The native Iron Age settlement encountered by the Romans at the seems to have developed in the 2nd or 1st centuries BC. This area of the Soar was split into two channels, a stream to the east and a narrower channel on the west. The settlement seems to have controlled a ford across the larger channel, the later Roman name was a latinate form of the Brittonic word for ramparts, suggesting the site was an oppidum. The plural form of the name suggests it was composed of several villages. The Celtic tribe holding the area was recorded as the Coritanians. The Corieltauvians are believed to have ruled over roughly the area of the East Midlands and it is believed that the Romans arrived in the Leicester area around AD47, during their conquest of southern Britain. The Corieltauvian settlement lay near a bridge on the Fosse Way, in the 2nd century, it received a forum and bathhouse. In 2013, the discovery of a Roman cemetery found just outside the old city walls, the remains of the baths of Roman Leicester can be seen at the Jewry Wall, recovered artifacts are displayed at the adjacent museum. Knowledge of the following the Roman withdrawal from Britain is limited. Certainly there is continuation of occupation of the town, though on a much reduced scale in the 5th and 6th centuries. Its memory was preserved as the Cair Lerion of the History of the Britons, following the Saxon invasion of Britain, Leicester was occupied by the Middle Angles and subsequently administered by the kingdom of Mercia. It was elevated to a bishopric in either 679 or 680, this see survived until the 9th century and their settlement became one of the Five Burghs of the Danelaw, although this position was short-lived

43.
Sheffield
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Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, its derives from the River Sheaf. With some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its industrial roots to encompass a wider economic base. The population of the City of Sheffield is 569,700, Sheffield is the third largest English district by population. The metropolitan population of Sheffield is 1,569,000, in the 19th century, Sheffield gained an international reputation for steel production. Known as the Steel City, many innovations were developed locally, including crucible and stainless steel, Sheffield received its municipal charter in 1843, becoming the City of Sheffield in 1893. International competition in iron and steel caused a decline in these industries in the 1970s and 1980s, the 21st century has seen extensive redevelopment in Sheffield along with other British cities. Sheffields gross value added has increased by 60% since 1997, standing at £9.2 billion in 2007, the economy has experienced steady growth averaging around 5% annually, greater than that of the broader region of Yorkshire and the Humber. The city is in the foothills of the Pennines, and the valleys of the River Don and its four tributaries, the Loxley, the Porter Brook, the Rivelin. 61% of Sheffields entire area is space, and a third of the city lies within the Peak District national park. The area now occupied by the City of Sheffield is believed to have inhabited since at least the late Upper Palaeolithic period. The earliest evidence of occupation in the Sheffield area was found at Creswell Crags to the east of the city. In the Iron Age the area became the southernmost territory of the Pennine tribe called the Brigantes and it is this tribe who are thought to have constructed several hill forts in and around Sheffield. Gradually, Anglian settlers pushed west from the kingdom of Deira, a Celtic presence within the Sheffield area is evidenced by two settlements called Wales and Waleswood close to Sheffield. The settlements that grew and merged to form Sheffield, however, date from the half of the first millennium. In Anglo-Saxon times, the Sheffield area straddled the border between the kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria, after the Norman conquest, Sheffield Castle was built to protect the local settlements, and a small town developed that is the nucleus of the modern city. By 1296, a market had been established at what is now known as Castle Square, from 1570 to 1584, Mary, Queen of Scots, was imprisoned in Sheffield Castle and Sheffield Manor. During the 1740s, a form of the steel process was discovered that allowed the manufacture of a better quality of steel than had previously been possible

44.
High Speed Two
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High Speed 2 is a planned high-speed railway in the United Kingdom linking London, Birmingham, the East Midlands, Leeds and Manchester. It would be the second high-speed rail line in Britain, after High Speed 1 which connects London to the Channel Tunnel. The line is to be built in a Y configuration, with London on the bottom of the Y, Birmingham at the centre, Leeds at the top right and Manchester at the top left. Work on the first phase is scheduled to begin in 2017, reaching Birmingham by 2026, Crewe on the leg of the Y by 2027. Carlisle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle, Preston, Sheffield, the HS2 project is being developed by High Speed Two Ltd, a company limited by guarantee established by the UK government and has a projected cost of £56 billion. Peak hour capacity leaving Euston will more than triple once HS2 is running, increasing from 11,300 to 34,900, the project is to be built in two phases. Phase 1 is from London to the West Midlands and phase 2 from the West Midlands to Leeds, Phase 2 is split into two sub-phases. Phase 2a is from the West Midlands to Crewe, Phase 2b will extend the project from Crewe to Manchester, and the West Midlands to Leeds. The government’s decision will go through the process for approval. Although Parliament has approved the first two phases of construction, precise details of the plan and route have not been formalised, and are still open to negotiation and change. For example, the spur to Heathrow airport was dropped from the scheme in 2015, as was the HS1 to HS2 link. The sections either side of the Pennines are open to amended design to accommodate HS3 using sections of HS2 track. In 2009 there were reportedly 5,600 km of high-speed line in operation in Europe, High-speed rail arrived in the United Kingdom with the opening in 2003 of the first part of High Speed 1 between London and the Channel Tunnel. Most of the network in Britain consists of lines constructed during the Victorian era. The government report suggested that the line could be extended to reach Scotland, for the HS2 report, a route was investigated to an accuracy of 50 centimetres. In December 2009 HS2 presented its report to the government, the study investigated the possibility of links to Heathrow Airport and connections with Crossrail, the Great Western Main Line, and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, as displayed in the map shown. On 11 March 2010 the HS2 report and supporting studies were published, the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition, on taking office in May 2010, undertook a review of HS2 plans inherited from the previous government. In March 2010 Theresa Villiers had stated The idea that kind of Wormwood Scrubs International station is the best rail solution for Heathrow is just not credible

High Speed Two
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HS1 (the Channel Tunnel rail link), the first railway line in Britain with an operating speed of more than 250 km/h
High Speed Two
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Preliminary High Speed 2, High Speed 1 and Channel Tunnel Rail links
High Speed Two
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The section of North London Line proposed for the HS1 link, as it passes over Camden Lock railway bridge
High Speed Two
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Crewe station looking NE showing the six converging classic railway lines

45.
Camden Market
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The Camden markets are a number of adjoining large retail markets in Camden Town near the Hampstead Road Lock of the Regents Canal, often collectively named Camden Market or Camden Lock. Among products sold on the stalls are crafts, clothing, bric-a-brac and it is the fourth-most popular visitor attraction in London, attracting approximately 100,000 people each weekend. A small local market has operated in Inverness Street in Camden Town since the beginning of the 20th century. From 1974 a small weekly crafts market that operated every Sunday near Camden Lock developed into a complex of markets. The markets, originally temporary stalls only, extended to a mixture of stalls, the markets originally operated on Sundays only, which continues to be the main trading day. Opening later extended to Saturdays for most of the market, a number of traders, mainly those in fixed premises, operate throughout the week, although the weekend remains the peak period. Since 2014, the Israeli billionaire Teddy Sagi has been buying property in the Camden Market area and as of March 2015, Sagi intends to invest £300 million in developing the market area by 2018. There are six distinct Camden markets, Camden Lock Market is situated by the Regents Canal on a site formerly occupied by warehouses and other premises associated with the canal. By 1976, when plans for the motorway were abandoned, the market had become a well known feature of Camden Town, originally, the Lock was a market for crafts, occupying some outdoor areas by the canal and various existing buildings. It attracted large numbers of visitors due to stalls being open on Sundays. While the range of goods has since widened, with stalls selling books, new and second-hand clothing, and jewellery, there is a large selection of fast food stalls. In 1991 a three-storey indoor market hall designed by architect John Dickinson was opened on the site of the first outdoor market, in the style of the traditional 19th century industrial architecture and housing in the area, it is built of brick and cast iron. From 2006 a large market hall was constructed in a yard between the Camden Lock Market and the Stables Market that was previously used for open air stalls. In November 2007 a large part of the Stables Market was demolished as part of a redevelopment plan for the area. In 2016 Urban Markets Company acquired Camden Lock and paid between £300m and £400m for the one-acre site, the joint venture between the founders of Camden Lock and Millitarne Retail Resorts International, the retail developers, was financed by Brockton Capital, a real estate private equity fund. Camden Lock Market is set to have a makeover to transform it into a traditional arts. The Urban Market Company plans to double the area and increase trading space by 15,000 square feet. The Stables Market was owned by Bebo Kobo, OD Kobo, Richard Caring and it was sold in 2014 for $685 million and is owned today by Market Tech PLC, a UK AIM listed public company

46.
Waterloo International railway station
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It stands on the western side of Waterloo railway station, London but was managed and branded separately from the main-line station. In June/July 2017 the buildings and platforms will be incorporated into the main Waterloo station, then after a period of redevelopment they will be permanently re-opened in December 2018 as part of the main station. The station was designed by the architectural firm Grimshaw Architects with Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners and it cost £120 million and was completed in May 1993, in time for the scheduled completion of the Channel Tunnel. Waterloo International had five platforms, numbered 20 to 24, one taken from the main-line station, unlike the platforms at the main station, they were long enough to accommodate trains of up to 20 coaches. The platforms were all covered by a 400 m long glass and steel vault of 37 arches forming a prismatic structure, the five vaults are supported by a grid of cylindrical concrete columns that rise up from the carpark level, through the circulation levels to the platforms. A structural glass wall separated the existing Waterloo Station from the International station, a two-level reception area fronted the main station concourse. The curvature of the roof is steeper on the western side, the roof arches are made up of two dissimilar curved trusses, triangular in section, with compression booms of tubular steel and tension booms of solid steel. Both compression and tension members are curved — structural engineer Anthony Hunt described the trusses as banana shaped, curved, tapering trusses were later used to great effect at Galpharm Stadium in Huddersfield. The first Eurostar departure, on 14 November 1994, was formed of Eurostar units 373004/373003, from the next day Eurostar services used their new London terminus of St Pancras International. Ownership of Waterloo International station passed to BRB Ltd. with no plans for the future use of the Eurostar platforms. At the time of closure, Network Rail had no plans to use the other four former international platforms for domestic use. From 4 July 2010 to 2 January 2011 two of the disused platforms hosted theatrical performances of E. Nesbits The Railway Children, the audience was seated either side of the actual railway track. The show includes the use of an engine, coupled to one of the original carriages from the 1970s film, being shunted in. All of the platforms were temporarily used for regional services during the refurbishment of the main station starting in Christmas 2013. Platform 20 came back into use for timetabled services in May 2014. In March 2016, it was reported that the platforms and terminal building will be incorporated into the station as part of a £800 million refurbishment of Waterloo. The terminal building will house a new shopping mall, british Rail developed a series of concepts during the late 1980s with an initial location at the opposite end of the concourse. The in-house design team assisted by Sir Alexander Gibb and Parters as traffic Engineers co-opted the services of Anthony Hunt so as to take the structure forward

Waterloo International railway station
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Two Eurostars (class 373) at Waterloo International
Waterloo International railway station
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South West Trains units occupying platforms 21 and 22, Waterloo (ex-International Terminal) station at 15:30 on 23 July 2015.
Waterloo International railway station
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Waterloo International arch
Waterloo International railway station
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Farewell message from Eurostar to its Waterloo terminus, early December 2007.

47.
Trent Valley line
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The Trent Valley line is a railway line between Rugby and Stafford in England, forming part of the West Coast Main Line. It is named after the River Trent which it follows, the line was built to provide a direct route from London to North West England and Scotland, and avoid the slower route between Rugby and Stafford via Birmingham. The cities, towns and villages served by the line are listed below, Stafford Rugeley Lichfield Tamworth Polesworth Atherstone Nuneaton Rugby A range of intercity and long-distance services use the route. London Midland and Virgin Trains operate all services on the route, London Midland uses the route as part of its hourly long-distance semi-fast service between London Euston and Crewe. These call at all stations on the route, except Polesworth, Virgin Trains uses the route for its long-distance and intercity services between London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool Lime Street, Chester, North Wales and Glasgow Central. These rarely call at more than one station on the route, the contractor for the 50 miles of double-track line was the London Railway Contractors Partnership of Thomas Brassey, John Stephenson and William MacKenzie. The engineers were Robert Stephenson, George Parker Bidder and Thomas Longridge Gooch, construction was initially started by an independent company, the Trent Valley Railway, which was established in Manchester in April 1844. Its Act of Incorporation received Royal Assent on 21 July 1845, construction of the line commenced in November 1845, the first sod being cut ceremonially at Tamworth by Sir Robert Peel on 13 November. It is now part of what is called the West Coast Main Line, the line was electrified on the 25 kV AC system during the 1960s, in the wake of the 1955 British Rail modernisation plan. Prior to this work being carried out, the West Coast Main Line had four tracks between London and Rugby, comprising a fast line and a line in each direction. Similarly, there were four tracks north of Stafford, although parts of the Trent Valley line previously had four tracks, there was an 11 miles long section of track between Tamworth and Armitage that had only ever been double track. The two outer tracks are slow, while the fast lines are the two innermost tracks, work started in 2004, and access roads were built on the eastern side of the line. Substantial earthworks were carried out and 37 bridges were replaced, a level crossing at Hademore was replaced by two road bridges in early 2007. The four-track railway between Lichfield North and Armitage was brought into use on 29 May 2008, concurrently, Lichfield Trent Valley signal box was closed and within a month had been demolished. On 8 September the same year, the railway between Tamworth and Lichfield came into use and Tamworth signal box closed. Additionally, the line between Rugby and Brinklow, formerly three tracks, was quadrupled on 27 May 2008, the line from Brinklow to Nuneaton remains three tracks. A2 miles section north-west of Colwich Junction, which passes through the 776 yards Shugborough Tunnel, as well as the civil engineering works, the whole of the Trent Valley line has been resignalled. The work was completed in September 2008, at a cost of around £350 million, along with the modernisation improvements, new rolling stock operates along the Trent Valley line

Trent Valley line
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The Trent Valley Line looking north from Hademore Crossing on 15 October 2006, showing the track bed for the new lines and works for the new bridge.
Trent Valley line
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Diagrammatic map of the route in blue.
Trent Valley line
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The same view on 7 January 2007, showing the newly opened bridge at Hademore

48.
Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line
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The Rugby–Birmingham–Stafford line is a railway line in the West Midlands of England. It is a loop off the West Coast Main Line between Rugby and Stafford via the West Midlands cities of Coventry, Birmingham and Wolverhampton, the direct route between Rugby and Stafford is the Trent Valley Line. The cities, towns and villages served by the line are listed below, virgin Trains, London Midland, Arriva Trains Wales and CrossCountry all operate services. Virgin Trains use the route as part of their intercity service between London Euston and Birmingham New Street, some services are also extended to/from Wolverhampton, Holyhead or Scotland, London Midland also operate London-Birmingham regional trains over the route, all operating via Northampton. Arriva Trains Wales operate regional services between Birmingham International and various destinations in Wales via Shrewsbury, CrossCountry use part of the route for their service from Manchester Piccadilly to destinations in the south of England. Many trains on this route run via Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Coventry, the line from Rugby to Birmingham was opened as part of the London and Birmingham Railway, in 1838, and originally ran into its terminus at Birmingham Curzon Street. The Grand Junction Railway opened its line into Curzon Street the following year, linking Birmingham to Wolverhampton, Stafford, however, this line ran via Aston to Wolverhampton. The London and Birmingham, and Grand Junction railways merged in 1846, to form the London, soon after, work started on building a new, more centrally located station in Birmingham, which became known as Birmingham New Street station. Finally, on 1 July 1852, the Stour Valley Line from Wolverhampton to Birmingham via Smethwick opened, from Bushbury and it was promoted by the Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Stour Valley Railway, which was soon absorbed by the LNWR. The LNWR itself became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923, the line was electrified along with the rest of the WCML during the late 1960s in the wake of the BR1955 Modernisation Plan. In 1987, British Rail commissioned artist Kevin Atherton to produce a series of sculptures to be erected along the line between Birmingham New Street station and Wolverhampton, the finished piece was titled Iron Horse, and consists of twelve different horse silhouettes, fashioned from steel. The construction material was chosen for its associations with the Black Country. Many of the stations on the line, were closed in the 1950s and 60s. 1967 – Stechford rail crash,9 killed,16 injured, despite the heavy traffic carried by the line, it is only double track throughout, and heavily congested, especially on the stretch between Coventry and Birmingham. Periodic calls have made since to quadruple the line between Coventry and Birmingham to ease congestion. The line is electrified with overhead wires at 25kv AC, jowetts Railways Centres Volume 1, Alan Jowett A Century of Railways Around Birmingham and the West Midlands, Volumes 1,2 &3, John Boynton Rail Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland, S K Baker

Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line
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Diagrammatic map of the route in orange.

49.
Edinburgh Waverley railway station
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Edinburgh Waverley railway station is the principal station serving Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. Waverley station is situated in a steep, narrow valley between the medieval Old Town and the 18th century New Town, Princes Street, the premier shopping street, runs close to its north side. The valley is bridged by the North Bridge, rebuilt in 1897 as an iron and steel bridge. This passes high above the central section, directly over the central booking hall. The valley to the west, formerly the site of the Nor Loch, is the parkland of Princes Street Gardens. Edinburghs Old Town, perched on a sloping ridge, was bounded on the north by a valley in which the Nor Loch had been formed. In the 1750s overcrowding led to proposals to link across this valley to allow development to the north, the noxious lake was to be narrowed into a canal of running water, with a bridge formed across the east end of the loch adjacent to the physic garden. The loch was drained as work on the bridge proceeded, the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway opened in 1842 with its terminus at Haymarket railway station, stopping short of Princes Street. The North Bridge station was opened on 22 June 1846 by the North British Railway as the terminus for its line from Berwick-upon-Tweed. The collective name Waverley, after the Waverley Novels by Sir Walter Scott, was used for the three from around 1854 when the through Waverley route to Carlisle opened. In 1868 the North British Railway acquired the stations of its rivals, the present Victorian station was built on the site, and extended in the late 19th century. Waverley has been in use since, under the auspices of the North British. From its opening in its current form by the eastward tunnelled extension from Haymarket, from 1870 to 1965 the city had a second major station, Princes Street, operated by the rival Caledonian Railway, but this was never as important as Waverley. As at other railway stations of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. The North British Hotel, adjacent to the station at the corner between Princes Street and North Bridge opened in 1902, in 1983 British Rail sold it to the Forte hotel group. In 1988 Forte closed the hotel for a year to extensively remodel, when it reopened it was rechristened The New Balmoral Hotel, maintaining the NB initials in what has proved to be an astute marketing move, despite the hotel being 115 miles from Balmoral Castle. Subsequently, New was dropped from the name, the hotel enjoys commanding views over central Edinburgh and is one of the most luxurious hotels in the UK. There is no longer an entrance from the station

Edinburgh Waverley railway station
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The main pedestrian entrance to the station (now barred to traffic), including the entrance ramp and Balmoral Hotel behind
Edinburgh Waverley railway station
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View from Scott Monument of Waverley Station roof, prior to restoration, between Waverley Bridge (bottom right) and North Bridge, and Arthur's Seat in the background
Edinburgh Waverley railway station
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Former North British Hotel above the station
Edinburgh Waverley railway station
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Aberdeen express leaving Edinburgh Waverley in 1957